Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann takes a critical view of the ECB Governing Council's latest monetary policy easing.

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann has come out against the creation of a single deposit guarantee scheme in the euro area in the near future. He sees a risk that depositors will end up carrying the can for distressed banks in other European countries.

The financial and sovereign debt crisis which has afflicted the euro area for more than seven years now has clearly left a mark on the financial market, having forced monetary policymakers to roll out highly accommodative measures and legislators to make adjustments to the regulatory framework.

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann has reiterated that, if the economic recovery in the euro area continues, further substantial net asset purchases by the Eurosystem beyond the agreed period will not be required. Furthermore, he does not believe that the recent appreciation of the euro will do anything to change this. Speaking at a conference in Frankfurt am Main, Mr Weidmann stated that this is – at least in part – a reaction to brighter growth prospects.

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann says the Eurosystem’s asset purchase programme should be discontinued this year if growth in consumer price inflation remains upbeat. Speaking to the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, he said he is confident that the Eurosystem is on a path towards its target inflation rate of below, but close to, 2%.

How will cash be used in the future? A recent Bundesbank study has investigated this question, outlining three different scenarios for cash payments in 2037. The study provides an idea of the social and economic environment in which cash will be embedded in the future.

Joint guest contribution by Denis Beau and Joachim Wuermeling in the FAZ on 04.11.2019.