The monetary policy strategy of the Eurosystem attaches great importance to monetary developments.

The external assets of the banks (more than 2 trillion euros) are significantly higher than the external liabilities.

Central banks base their monetary policy on balance sheet data from banks, insurance companies, and other financial institutions, as well as from households, businesses, and parts of the government. These reports provide important information about behavior and developments in the respective sectors.

The transaction values data are available exclusively as direct FDI data. This means that the data can only show direct holdings of more than 10 % in affiliated enterprises. It is not possible to collect data on direct investment c

Germany’s net international investment position (i.i.p.) rose by €205.6 billion in 2025.

Germany’s gross external debt amounted to €6.8 trillion at the end of 2025; relative to gross domestic product (GDP) it remained unchanged in the period under review.

German enterprises constitute net debtors vis-à-vis non-residents: Standing at €1779 billion at the end of February 2026, their liabilities arising from financial operations and trade credits, exceeded their corresponding assets of €1523 billion by €255 billion. Compared with the previous month, this is a change of -€14 billion.

Financial operations with foreign non-banks are of particular importance here, while those with foreign banks play a secondary role. The first group accounts for 70% of claims and 83% of liabilities. At 20% and 16% respectively, the share of trade credits in these total figures remains comparatively small.

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Explanatory notes

Under the European budgetary surveillance procedure, EU member states are obliged to submit data on general government deficit and debt levels to the European Commission twice a year.