Published by Mark Smith-HalvorsenThe Bank of England wants the nation to dip into its capital reserves and start spending, according to Charles Bean, deputy governor of the bank and a member of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).In comments made on Channel 4 News last night, the policymaker said the central bank is pursuing an "aggressive" strategy designed to stimulate business and consumer spending by keeping rates low."It needs to be said that savers shouldn't necessarily expect to be able to live just off their income in times when interest rates are low. It may make sense for them to eat into their capital a bit," he said.He said that while the main targets of the historic rate cuts have been British businesses, the MPC is also keen to stimulate retail spending.Low interest rates can also help to support international payments receipts from export trade by keeping inflation at bay and, in turn, allowing the pound to remain competitive on the international market.For more information on foreign exchange treasury services and risk management, visit our Corporate FX site.