Complete download as excel file

Household wealth in Germany increased between 2017 and 2021. For example, households’ average net wealth went up by €83,600 to €316,500 between those two years. In particular, households with low wealth saw strong growth relative to their existing wealth. This is the finding of a Bundesbank study regularly examining household wealth and finances (the Panel on Household Finances, or PHF). 

How might payments in the financial industry be made in future? The latest edition of the Bundesbank’s Monthly Report outlines various possible options in a world in which distributed ledger technology (DLT) is increasingly being used to settle transactions between banks. Central bank money must remain the number one choice for large-value payments, according to the Bank’s experts, though that does not necessarily mean that central bank digital currency needs to be provided directly in a DLT network setup. Nor does it entirely rule out the use of other forms of money. 

The current Monthly Report explores the factors influencing payment flows to and from Germany and how the banking system ensures that the required payments take place. The Bundesbank’s experts are in favour of excess liquidity being scaled back by the Eurosystem in the coming years to a point where the private interbank market can regain importance in the European payments space.

The term structure of interes rates in the debt securities market shows the connection between the interest rates and maturities of default-free zero coupon bonds.

In the first quarter of 2023, households’ financial assets grew by €146 billion, standing at €7,393 billion at the quarter’s end. Following the declines in the first three quarters of 2022, the financial assets appear to be following the upward trend of the fourth quarter of 2022.