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As things look now, there is considerable probability that global interest rates will remain low over a long period of time, and then monetary policy will have to find other ways of working to attain the inflation target than those we are used to, and many of the measures will have consequences for the balance sheet. We need to endeavour to attain a better analysis of how measures that have an effect through the balance sheet affect the economy and become as clear and systematic when we talk about these as we have tried to be with regard to steering interest rates. I intend to begin with a historical retrospective – focusing on the past 30 years – and to describe how monetary policy has developed over time. Then I will move on to the challenges that monetary policy has faced and that have led to the use of new tools. This takes me to the international discussions about the monetary policy toolbox, and, in conclusion, I would like to discuss what opportunities and limitations the Riksbank Inquiry’s proposed new act entails. The development of monetary policy – a retrospective Ever since central banks in the modern sense were created, their objective has been clear: to provide the economy with a payment system and with a means of payment and to ensure that the value of these funds remains stable over time.