A raft of policy measures introduced last month will help lift inflation and support bank lending but the European Central Bank stands ready to create money in future if required, Reuters cited ECB President Mario Draghi as saying on Thursday. The ECB left interest rates steady a month after cutting them to record lows and pushing the deposit rate into negative territory for the first time - effectively charging banks for holding their money overnight to prompt them to lend to businesses. The measures unveiled in June also included extending the duration of unlimited cheap liquidity for banks until the end of 2016, and offering them a four-year loan plan. Draghi said last month's measures had further loosened the euro zone's monetary policy stance. "The monetary operations to take place over the coming months will add to this accommodation and will support bank lending," he told a news conference after the ECB left its key rate at just 0.15 percent. "As our measures work their way through to the economy, they will contribute to a return of inflation rates to levels closer to 2 percent." The euro zone inflation rate held at 0.5 percent last month, well below the ECB's target of close to but below two percent and in what Draghi has called the "danger zone". -- SPA 16:18 LOCAL TIME 13:18 GMT تغريد