The Bank of England governor calls it the “single most pressing challenge to domestic economic policy”. But what are the options for getting banks to lend again?

Attempts have been made to get credit flowing back into the economy. The banks have been recapitalised to the tune of £50bn ($78bn), with up to £37bn provided by the taxpayer. Interbank lending has been guaranteed and more than £100bn of cash has been released by the Bank under a special liquidity scheme.