UK_QE

Asset purchase facility (APF)

The Bank’s asset purchase scheme, commonly referred to as QE, started in 2009 and came to an end in its current form in 2016 – total asset purchases by 2016 had risen to £435bn.

The TFS and CBPS Schemes

On 4 August 2016,  Term Funding Scheme (TFS) was introduced to provide additional funding to banks at rates close to Bank Rate.  A new Corporate Bond Purchase Scheme (CBPS) was also set up to purchase private sector assets.

The CBPS may buy up to £10 bn worth of  bonds of firms making a ‘material contribution’ to the UK economy, subject to risk assessment.  The target for purchases of UK government bonds, financed by central bank reserves, was increased by £60 billion to £435 billion.