Banking supervisors are reviewing their supervisory practices and measures in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Both the EBA stress test and the LSI stress test have been postponed, for example. More information can be found on the websites of the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin), the ECB, the European Banking Authority (EBA) and the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS).

General government debt in Germany was down by €16 billion in 2019 to €2.053 trillion. The debt ratio – the ratio of debt to nominal gross domestic product – therefore fell to 59.8%, dropping below the Maastricht Treaty’s reference value of 60% for the first time since 2002. However, given the coronavirus pandemic and the associated costs, general government debt will rise again sharply in 2020.

The Bundesbank is about to become a hub for joint digital financial innovations developed by central banks from all over the world. Together, the French central bank and the Bundesbank will set up an innovation centre in Frankfurt am Main and Paris. Both banks are thus part of the Bank for International Settlements’ global “BIS Innovation Hub” network.

Der Überschuss in der Leistungsbilanz des Euro-Währungsgebiets sank in den vier Quartalen bis zum ersten Quartal 2020 auf 285 Mrd € (2,4 % des BIP im Euroraum), verglichen mit 344 Mrd € (3,0 % des BIP im Euroraum) ein Jahr zuvor (siehe Tabelle 1).