How much does a cash payment cost? How long does it take? What costs arise at which points? And how do cash payments compare with cashless payments in terms of costs? Answers to these and other questions are provided by this study on the costs of cash payments in the retail sector, contributing to the debate on the efficiency of payments at the point of sale (POS).

In the first issue, we introduce Burkhard Balz, among others, who has already signed a MoU with the People's Bank of China as part of his new responsibilities.

The March 2019 edition of the Bundesbank’s Monthly Report sheds light on Germany’s balance of payments for 2018 and it analyses the demand for cash in the shadow economy.

In 2018, the German economy’s current account surplus decreased by ¾ percentage point to 7¼% of nominal gross domestic product (GDP). This was due to a sharp decline in the goods trade surplus, whereas developments in the other sub- accounts tended to push up the surplus.

Die Europäische Zentralbank (EZB) und die Bank of England haben beschlossen, eine unbefristete Swap-Vereinbarung zu aktivieren, wodurch die Bank of England in der Lage sein wird, britischen Banken auf wöchentlicher Basis Euro zu leihen. Im Tausch gegen Euro wird die EZB Pfund Sterling von der Bank of England erhalten. Die Aktivierung stellt eine umsichtige und vorsorgliche Maßnahme der Bank of England dar, zusätzliche Flexibilität bei ihrer Liquiditätssicherung zu bieten und unterstützt dadurch die Funktionsweise der Märkte, die Unternehmen und private Haushalte versorgen.

The Bundesbank posted a profit of € 2.5 billion for the 2018 financial year, representing a year-on-year increase of € 0.5 billion. This increase was due to higher interest income, noted Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann.