The NBR's standing facilities to credit institutions aim to:

1. absorb and provide overnight liquidity, 
2. signal the general monetary policy stance and 
3. bound overnight interbank rates through the corridor defined by the interest rates on the lending and deposit facilities.

Credit institutions may resort to the NBR's standing facilities on their own initiative:

• the lending facility in order to obtain overnight loans from the central bank against collateral at a pre-established interest rate that is usually a ceiling of overnight rates on money market;
• the deposit facility in order to place overnight deposits with the central bank at a pre-established interest rate that is usually a floor of overnight rates on money market.

The interest rates on the NBR standing facilities set a symmetrical corridor around the monetary policy rate