The conference volume comprises a wide range of multifaceted papers addressing different aspects of cash, that were presented and discussed at the International Cash Conference in February 2012.

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.

In the first half of 2020, the global coronavirus pandemic led to the most severe economic slump in Germany in decades. Governments and central banks around the world have taken extensive measures to stabilise the economy as well as labour and financial markets.