Barbados policy interest rate
The Central Bank of Barbados does not operate a policy interest rate. Monetary policy is anchored on the fixed exchange rate of BDS$2.00 = US$1.00 (in place since 5 July 1975) and is executed through foreign-reserve management and balance-sheet/reserve-requirement instruments, not through an announced policy rate. There is therefore no rate to serve.
| Current value | structured — see the API |
|---|---|
| In force from | 2015-04-21 |
| Official source | Central Bank of Barbados press release, 7 April 2015 — 'Central Bank of Barbados will no longer set a Minimum Rate on Savings Deposits' (effective 21 April 2015): with this decision the Bank 'completed the process of dismantling a regime of structured interest rates on loans and deposits which dates back to the Bank's earliest days', and now offers 'guidance on interest rates fully through the Central Bank's activity in the financial market, rather than by way of interest rate stipulations' |
| Last verified | 2026-07-23 |
| Verification | primary — No verification limitation recorded — read from the official source cited. |
| Provenance | source fingerprint |
What this value means
POSITIVELY ESTABLISHED NULL — verified 23 Jul 2026 against CBB's own statements, not assumed. Chain of evidence: (1) The minimum deposit rate WAS the CBB's active policy instrument — it was cut from 3.0% to 2.5% effective 17 Aug 2009 (https://www.centralbank.org.bb/news/general-press-release/bank-announces-a-change-to-monetary-policy) and earlier moved alongside a stipulated weighted-average lending rate and the securities requirement (press release 4 Oct 2002, https://www.centralbank.org.bb/news/general-press-release/the-central-bank-of-barbados-issues-new-monetary-policy-1). (2) The CBB ABOLISHED it effective 21 Apr 2015 and did not replace it with any announced target rate (source above). (3) Since then the Bank has announced changes to its monetary policy STANCE using a balance-sheet instrument, not a rate: on 9 May 2017 it 'announce[d] a tightening of its monetary policy stance through an increase in its Barbados Dollar securities reserve requirement ratio' to 15% (https://www.centralbank.org.bb/news/economic-press-release/the-central-bank-announces-a-tightening-of-its-monetary-policy). (4) The CBB's own explainers on the peg describe reserve adequacy — not an interest rate — as the mechanism ('If you have no foreign exchange, you can't deliver at that two to one rate', Governor Haynes; https://www.centralbank.org.bb/news/general-press-release/the-what-why-and-how-of-maintaining-barbados-exchange-rate). (5) No CBB publication in 2025-2026, including the quarterly Review of Barbados' Economy Jan-Mar 2026 (29 Apr 2026) and the Outlook updated Apr 2026, announces, names or discusses a policy rate. WHY THE LOOKALIKES ARE NOT SERVED: (a) BANK RATE / DISCOUNT RATE — the CBB still publishes a 'Bank Rate' in statistical Table E2 ('Comparative Treasury Bill Rates and Bank Rates'). It is the rate charged on temporary advances to licensees (see 6 Apr 2009 release lowering the discount rate from 10% to 8%, https://www.centralbank.org.bb/news/general-press-release/central-bank-of-barbados-lowers-the-discount-rate); it has not been used as an announced policy instrument since the 2009 easing cycle and the CBB nowhere describes it as its policy rate, so aggregators that publish 'Barbados interest rate' off this series are mislabelling a standing lending facility. (b) TREASURY BILL RATE — a Government of Barbados debt-auction outcome administered for fiscal financing, not a CBB instrument or target. Neither is served here. If the CBB ever names a policy instrument rate, this series should be switched to it with history. Watch: CBB press releases (https://www.centralbank.org.bb/news/general-press-release) and the quarterly economic reviews.
Get it programmatically
curl https://latamref.dev/v1/bb/policy-rate
# $0.001 per call — x402 on Base (USDC). No key, no signup.
# History: curl https://latamref.dev/v1/bb/policy-rate/history?from=2020-01-01
# Provenance: curl https://latamref.dev/provenance/bb/policy-rateOther Barbados series: VAT rate · minimum wage · public holidays · inflation rate (CPI) · corporate tax rate · income tax rates