The Bundesbank registered approximately 55,200 counterfeit euro banknotes with a value of €3.3 million in 2019, representing a 5% decrease on the year.

Bundesbank-Vorstand Burkhard Balz warnt vor einer schleichenden Erosion der Bargeld-Infrastruktur in Deutschland und erklärt, welche Rolle Scheine und Münzen künftig noch spielen werden.

In 2018, the Bundesbank identified approximately 58,000 counterfeit euro banknotes with a nominal value of €3.4 million, representing a 20% decrease on the previous year.

It’s no secret that Germany loves cash. However, the pandemic and the new focus on hygiene showed that even in the Federal Republic, cashless payments can also be interesting for payments of less than €10. In Germany, just over 50 % of all payments are currently still settled using cash. In a few years’ time, it should also be possible to pay with the digital euro. Burkhard Balz, Executive Board member at the Deutsche Bundesbank, is jointly responsible for the digital currency project. On the fringes of the Ludwig-Erhard summit, he revealed in an interview with Frankfurter Rundschau what can be expected and why cash lovers actually have reason to be cheerful.

In the first half of 2019, the Bundesbank recorded approximately 27,600 counterfeit euro banknotes with a nominal value of €1.6 million. Thus, although the incidence of counterfeiting was up compared to the second half of 2018, it is still low overall.

Die Europäische Kommission hat heute ihren Gesetzgebungsvorschlag zu einem digitalen Euro veröffentlicht. Ein digitaler Euro wäre so wie gegenwärtig Banknoten und Münzen ein universelles Zahlungsmittel im gesamten Eurogebiet. Mit dem vorgeschlagenen Status als gesetzliches Zahlungsmittel wäre sichergestellt, dass er auf breite Akzeptanz als Zahlungsinstrument stieße.

The branches of the Bundesbank supply the economy with euro banknotes and coins, and offers private customers the opportunity to exchange D-Mark banknotes and coins free-of-charge and with no fixed deadline.