Bank of England

Founded in 1694, the Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom. Initially the Bank was created to act as the Government's banker and debt-manager. Since then its role has developed and evolved, centred on the management of the nation's currency and its position at the centre of the UK's financial system. The Bank’s mission is to promote the good of the people of the United Kingdom by maintaining monetary and financial stability. The most recognisable of the Bank’s responsibilities is maintaining public confidence in the bank notes: the Bank designs and issues durable, high quality bank notes, containing advanced security features that are easy to check and resilient to counterfeiting. The bank's monetary stability objective is to deliver low and stable prices, and is defined by the Government set inflation target. Financial stability – public trust and confidence in financial institutions, markets, infrastructure, and the system as a whole – is just as important for the Bank.