From a legal perspective, TARGET2 consists of a number of TARGET2 component systems. Based on the Eurosystem’s approach, and in an attempt to standardise the legal requirements for participation as far as possible, the “Terms and conditions for a PM account” are, however, a literal copy of the “Harmonised conditions for the opening and operation of a PM account in TARGET2”, which were adopted within the framework of the TARGET2 Guideline. The Bundesbank simply made the necessary editorial changes (such as inserting the terms “Bundesbank” and “TARGET2-Bundesbank”, for example) and deleted a minimal amount of provisions which were not relevant to TARGET2-Bundesbank.

The following “Special terms and conditions” contain the legal requirements for internet-based participation in TARGET2-Bundesbank. Due to the Eurosystem’s attempt to standardise the legal requirements for participation in TARGET2 as far as possible (see section above), this document was prepared on the basis of the “Supplemental and modified harmonised conditions for the opening and operation of a PM account in TARGET2 using internet-based access”, which were adopted within the framework of the TARGET2 Guideline. Beside the necessary editorial changes, solely a minimal amount of provisions which were not relevant to TARGET2-Bundesbank were deleted.

Der Konsolidierung im deutschen Bankensektor hat sich 2017 fortgesetzt. Die Gesamtzahl der Kreditinstitute in Deutschland verringerte sich im um 65 auf 1.823 Institute.

The Bundesbank’s October 2018 Monthly Report comments on trends in state government finances, the implementation of the debt brake and future budgetary surveillance. It also analyses the macroeconomic impact of uncertainty as well as the activities of multinationals against the backdrop of national economic statistics. Furthermore, the report contains an article on the growing importance of exchange-traded funds on the financial markets.

German sovereign bonds have become scarce on the European repo market over recent years. A new analysis investigates the impact of the Eurosystem’s monetary policy asset purchase programme on the repo market, and shows that central bank securities lending can help to counteract scarcity.

How did Germany's gold reserves come into being and what role did gold play as a means of payment through the ages? What was the significance of gold reserves then and now? With this book, the Bundesbank's gold reserves are presented to readers for the first time in an informative and illustrative way, as if they were holding them in their own hands. The transfer of significant gold holdings from the depositories in New York and Paris to Frankfurt has attracted a great deal of public attention in recent years.

Bundesbank and BaFin jointly presented the results of the survey on the earnings situation and resilience of German banks in the low interest rate environment in 2017.