The protracted period of low interest rates continued to take its toll on German banks’ profits last year, as the Bundesbank’s latest Monthly Report reveals in an analysis of the annual financial statements of German banks. Driven by a considerable decline in net interest income, aggregate operating income for all German banks fell by 3.8% to €123.1 billion.

Leitfaden erläutert Vorgehensweise der EZB-Bankenaufsicht bei Prüfungen. Durch Veröffentlichung des Leitfadens soll Aufsichtspraxis unterstützt und Transparenz gesteigert werden. Veröffentlichung folgt auf Abschluss öffentlicher Konsultation.

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann has spoken out in favour of making the rules on debt more binding. "It would be helpful for the rules of the Stability Pact to be simplified," he said in a speech delivered in Freiburg. Furthermore, Mr Weidmann added, a more rigorous interpretation of the rules could be achieved by giving responsibility for fiscal surveillance to an independent authority instead of the European Commission.