London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 28, 2025

UK in a ‘different place’ from the euro zone on negative rates, Bank of England says

UK in a ‘different place’ from the euro zone on negative rates, Bank of England says

The U.K. is in a “different place” to continental Europe with regards to the need for negative interest rates, Bank of England Deputy Governor Ben Broadbent has told CNBC.


His comments came after the Bank of England revealed that British banks would need a minimum of six months to prepare for the introduction of a negative interest rate regime, though it clarified this did not mean that further rate cuts were imminent.

Negative rates effectively pay businesses and individuals to borrow money and penalize banks for depositing cash, in theory encouraging them to invest and spend more which can help the economy to grow. However, they exert further downward pressure on banks’ profit margins, which if passed on to customers, could fail to have the desired effect.

In a letter to lenders published Thursday, Sam Woods, the head of the Bank’s Prudential Regulation Authority, said a majority of banks would need time to alter systems and processes and implement strategic or tactical solutions.

Broadbent told CNBC’s “Street Signs Europe” on Friday that this would be similar to the preparation embarked upon euro zone banks in 2014 before the European Central Bank took interest rates below zero for the first time.

“We have been at least in a slightly different place from the ECB, which found itself in 2014 having already had a long period of inflation below target, and indeed inflation expectations dropping below target, and we have not been in that position,” Broadbent said, adding that the bank deemed its current monetary policy “appropriate.”

Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the Bank of England has cut its main lending rate from 0.75% to 0.1%. It left it unchanged at its policy meeting Thursday, along with maintaining its target stock of asset purchases at £895 billion ($1.2 trillion).

Negative rates ‘unlikely’


Despite speculation of negative rates, several analysts have suggested that the central bank may not need to loosen policy any further in the foreseeable future.

Gurpreet Gill, macro strategist for global fixed income at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, said the BOE’s engagement with banks to explore the feasibility of negative rates should not be interpreted as an imminent policy signal, and suggested such a move is unlikely in 2021.

“Secondly, from a broader macro standpoint we don’t regard negative rates — which could adversely impact the banking sector — as an effective tool for downturn periods, even if they are accompanied by a tiered system of reserve remuneration,” Gill added.

She also noted that no central bank that entered the Covid crisis with negative rates has delved further below zero.

“Central banks that haven’t yet ventured into negative rates may not wish to do so in this environment, at least not until the economic recovery is on more solid footing,” she added.


ING Developed Markets Economist James Smith said the standout message from the Bank of England was that its Monetary Policy Committee had “limited enthusiasm” for negative rates. He noted that the meeting minutes published Thursday contained several references to the fact that the news was not a signal that sub-zero rates were forthcoming.

“The Bank’s latest forecasts make it clear policymakers don’t see the need for further stimulus. Its projections now assume the economy will regain all lost ground by the fourth quarter, and that unemployment will only be marginally higher at this point next year,” Smith said in an emailed comment Thursday.

“Inflation is expected to be a little above target for the next couple of years. While some of that in our view may turn out to be a little optimistic, the signal implies that neither a rate cut nor a further expansion in quantitative easing beyond this year is likely, if the Covid-19 story goes as hoped.”

The U.K. is expected to have vaccinated 15 million people in its top four priority groups by mid-February, with vaccines being distributed at a pace that has drawn widespread acclaim.


Vivek Paul, U.K. chief investment strategist at BlackRock Investment Institute, said interest rates have likely entered a “new nominal” in which they remain “rangebound” for some time, owing to material impediments to significant moves higher or lower.

“Indeed, even once we are through the worst of the crisis - and as the vaccine rollout enables a more widespread economic recovery — there will be greater barriers to rates rising due to the heightened sensitivity of government debt servicing costs to rate rises and the increasing willingness of central banks across the globe to look through temporary inflation overshoots,” Paul said.

He added that given the pace of vaccine distribution, current policy support should be able to provide a bridge to either spring or summer for an emergence from the pandemic.

“Now, with all eyes on the path of the recovery and with the uncertainty of a no-deal Brexit firmly in the rear-view mirror, we see internationally focused U.K. large-cap stocks as an attractive proposition on valuation grounds and a route to accessing the global post-Covid recovery story,” he concluded.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
×