At an event held in honour of former Bundesbank President Karl Otto Pöhl, incumbent President Joachim Nagel spoke about strengthening the foundation of the euro so that stable prices can be ensured even in turbulent times. He emphasised the importance of sound public finances, integrated markets and public confidence in central banks.

This year, the Bundesbank’s autumn conference in Frankfurt am Main focused on the challenges facing financial markets, financial intermediaries and central banks. The conference, which was organised in cooperation with the Humboldt University of Berlin, hosted international guests and speakers from the Federal Reserve Bank, the European Central Bank, the Bank of England, King’s College London, Princeton and Bocconi University, among many more.

TARGET2 offers its participants settlement services in euro, with settlement in central bank money. Every euro payment that is to be settled in real time and in central bank money can be settled via TARGET2.

The money market is where short-term loans and securities are traded. Based on this general definition, the money market is the counterpart of the capital market, where long-term financial contracts are concluded. In international and national statistics, it is customary to allocate maturities of up to (and including) one year to the money market sector.

A digital euro would be a digital form of central bank money, specifically the euro. It could be used by the general public in much the same way as cash, only in virtual form. Alongside cash, the Eurosystem would thus supply households with an additional form of central bank money that can be used quickly, easily and securely.