1) Liquidity refers to an asset's ability to be converted to cash quickly with minimal loss of value. It has different meanings in different contexts such as accounting, banking, and markets. 2) For banks, liquidity is the ability to meet commitments as they fall due by funding withdrawals, settlements, advances and other transactions. Managing liquidity is critical to avoiding systemic risk. 3) The 2007-2008 financial crisis revealed that many banks did not adequately account for liquidity risk in their products and business lines through stress testing or contingency planning. This oversight led to significant central bank intervention.