In this paper, we argue that the observed di¤erence in the cost of intraday and overnightliquidity is part of an optimal payments system design. In our environment, the interestcharged on overnight liquidity a¤ects output while the cost of intraday liquidity onlyaffects the distribution of...

The nineteenth-century economist Walter Bagehot maintained that in order to prevent bank panics, a central bank should provide liquidity at a very high rate of interest. However, most of the theoretical literature on liquidity provision suggests that central banks should lend at an interest rate...