1. The benchmark interest rate is the guiding interest rate for commercial banks' deposits, loans and discounts announced by the People's Bank of China. At present, the deposit interest rate of financial institutions can be lowered 10% on the basis of the benchmark interest rate, and the loan interest rate can be lowered by 20%.
2. The benchmark interest rate is an interest rate with universal reference function in the financial market, and other interest rate levels or financial asset prices can be determined according to this benchmark interest rate level.
3. Benchmark interest rate is one of the important prerequisites for interest rate marketization. Under the condition of interest rate marketization, financiers need a universally recognized interest rate level as a reference to measure financing costs and investors to calculate investment returns.
4. Therefore, the benchmark interest rate is the core of the formation of interest rate marketization mechanism.
Extended data
The interest rate instruments adopted by the People's Bank of China mainly include:
1. Adjust the benchmark interest rate of the central bank, including:
(1) The refinancing rate is the interest rate used by the People's Bank of China to issue refinancing loans to financial institutions;
(2) rediscount interest rate, that is, the interest rate used by financial institutions to rediscount their discounted bills to the People's Bank of China;
(3) Interest rate of deposit reserve, the interest rate paid by the People's Bank of China for the statutory deposit reserve deposited by financial institutions;
(4) Excess deposit reserve interest rate, that is, the interest rate paid by the central bank for the part of the reserve deposited by financial institutions that exceeds the statutory deposit reserve level.
2. Adjust the legal deposit and loan interest rates of financial institutions.
3. Formulate the floating range of deposit and loan interest rates of financial institutions.
4. Formulate relevant policies and adjust various interest rate structures and grades.
Refer to Baidu Encyclopedia-Central Bank Benchmark Interest Rate