In the first half of 2023, the Bundesbank withdrew approximately 26,700 counterfeit euro banknotes with a nominal value of just under €2.9 million from circulation in Germany. This was 10% more counterfeit banknotes than in the second half of 2022. The number of counterfeit €200 and €500 banknotes rose in particular. “The incidence of counterfeit banknotes is still low, however. Statistically speaking, there were six counterfeit banknotes per 10,000 inhabitants,” stated Burkhard Balz, the Bundesbank Executive Board member responsible for cash management.

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). 

The banking sector in the euro area would be able to withstand a severe economic downturn. This is the result of the stress test conducted by the European Banking Authority (EBA) and the European Central Bank (ECB). According to BaFin and the Bundesbank, German institutions proved robust even in the particularly severe adverse scenario.