Investors paid the British state for the privilege of lending it money for the first time as Andrew Bailey gave his strongest hint yet that interest rates could turn negative.After inflation plunged to a near-four year low in a fresh sign of the disaster gripping the economy, Government bond yields fell into unprecedented territory below zero - meaning that investors were so desperate to park their cash in a safe haven that they were willing to pay the Treasury to take it. Meanwhile Bank of England Governor Mr Bailey vowed to pull every lever at his...…Investors paid the British state for the privilege of lending it money for the first time as Andrew Bailey gave his strongest hint yet that interest rates could turn negative.After inflation plunged to a near-four year low in a fresh sign of the disaster gripping the economy, Government bond yields fell into unprecedented territory below zero - meaning that investors were so desperate to park their cash in a safe haven that they were willing to pay the Treasury to take it. Meanwhile Bank of England Governor Mr Bailey vowed to pull every lever at his...WW…

The Bank of England has called on ministers to decide whether a central bank digital currency should be “programmable”, ultimately giving the issuer control over how it is spent by the recipient. Tom Mutton, a director at the Bank of England, said during a conference on Monday that programming could become a key feature of any future central bank digital currency, in which the money would be programmed to be released only when something happened.He said: “You could introduce programmability - what happens if one of the participants in a transaction puts a restriction on [future use of...…The Bank of England has called on ministers to decide whether a central bank digital currency should be “programmable”, ultimately giving the issuer control over how it is spent by the recipient. Tom Mutton, a director at the Bank of England, said during a conference on Monday that programming could become a key feature of any future central bank digital currency, in which the money would be programmed to be released only when something happened.He said: “You could introduce programmability - what happens if one of the participants in a transaction puts a restriction on [future use of...WW…