Cash continues to be the most frequently used means of payment in Germany, although cashless payments are increasing their share. These are the findings of the Bundesbank’s sixth study on payment behaviour in Germany for 2021. Respondents used banknotes and coins to make a total of 58% of their payments for purchases of goods and services, compared with 74% in the Bundesbank’s last major study from 2017. The lower use of cash was mainly due to the increase in online purchases during the coronavirus pandemic.

Das Geldvermögen der privaten Haushalte in Deutschland lag zum Ende des dritten Quartals 2018 bei 6 053 Mrd €, womit es gegenüber dem zweiten Quartal um 76 Mrd € oder 1,3 % anstieg.

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann has defended the definition of price stability over the medium term as maintaining inflation rates of below, but close to, 2% in the euro area. He waded into the debate on setting a higher inflation target and warned of the impact that such a target could have on macroeconomic stability.

Germany’s current account recorded a surplus of €11.0 billion in January 2022, down €13.6 billion on the previous month’s level. The surplus in the goods account declined considerably, with the surplus in invisible current transactions, which comprise services as well as primary and secondary income, contracting even more strongly.