Interest rate announcement * All rate announcements will be made at 10:00 (ET), and the Monetary Policy Report will continue to be published concurrently with the January, April, July and October rate announcements. MPC meetings are important dates in spread betting and CFD traders’ calendars as they set the official interest rate in the UK. This UK interest rate is the rate at which the Bank will lend money to commercial banks. However it also influences the rates set by commercial banks and other lenders, The Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington DC. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The Federal Reserve, the central bank of the United States, provides the nation with a safe, flexible, and stable monetary and financial system.