KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee held Bank Rate at 3.75 percent in a 6-3 vote, with Chief Economist Huw Pill and external members Megan Greene and Catherine Mann voting for a 25-basis-point hike to 4.00 percent (Bank of England — September 17, 2026; The Guardian — September 17, 2026).
• The Bank raised its UK inflation peak forecast to "slightly over 4 percent in early 2027" from a prior 3.2 percent late-2026 peak, with August CPI at 3.1 percent and inflation having exceeded the 2 percent target in all but three months over the last five years (Bank of England — September 17, 2026).
• UK Q3 2026 GDP growth was revised up to 0.4 percent from a prior 0.1 percent estimate (Bank of England — September 17, 2026).
• The Central Bank of Kenya is hosting the 48th annual meetings of the Association of African Central Banks in Nairobi, September 13-18, with governors from more than 40 African countries convening a high-level conference on artificial intelligence in central banking (Ahram Online — September 17, 2026).

STORIES THAT MATTER

UNITED KINGDOM — Bank Of England Holds Bank Rate At 3.75 Percent And Pauses Active Gilt Sales For Six Months

The Monetary Policy Committee voted 6-3 to hold Bank Rate at 3.75 percent on Thursday, September 17, with three members — Chief Economist Huw Pill and external members Megan Greene and Catherine Mann — voting for a 25-basis-point hike to 4.00 percent. No members voted for a cut (Bank of England — September 17, 2026).

COMING UP...

UNITED KINGDOM — Bank Of England Holds Bank Rate At 3.75 Percent And Pauses Active Gilt Sales For Six Months

UNITED STATES — Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index Fell To 37.8 In September After August Reading Of 47.4

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NIGERIA — Former Central Bank Governor Sanusi Urges CBN To Leverage Fintech Data For Savings And Insurance Access

Governor Andrew Bailey and Deputy Governors Sarah Breeden, Clare Lombardelli, and Dave Ramsden are on record raising the prospect of future increases, according to coverage of the minutes (The Guardian — September 17, 2026).

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The Committee simultaneously announced a six-month pause on all active gilt sales to finalize a new long-term quantitative-tightening plan.