Stanley Fischer: The independent Bank of England - 20 years on

Speech by Mr Stanley Fischer, Vice Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, at the Bank of England "Independence - 20 years" Conference, London, 28 September 2017.

The views expressed in this speech are those of the speaker and not the view of the BIS.

Central bank speech  | 
12 October 2017

It is a pleasure to speak at this commemoration of 20 years of Bank of England monetary policy independence. In my remarks today, I will consider how central banking in the United Kingdom and the United States has evolved in response to the challenges of recent years. I will address a limited set of topics and will have time to touch only briefly on each.

These remarks are divided into three parts. In the first part, I will discuss several aspects of aggregate monetary policy: central bank independence, policy transparency, and policy tools. In the second part, I consider differences between the approaches of the two banks to their lender-of-last-resort function. And, third, I will close with brief reflections on the central bank's responsibility for financial stability.

The views expressed in this speech are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect those of the BIS.