On 13 March 2024, the ECB Governing Council decided on changes to the operational framework for implementing monetary policy. These changes will affect how central bank liquidity will be provided as excess liquidity in the banking system, while remaining significant over the coming years, gradually declines.

Germany’s economic substance and its pool of talent and entrepreneurial spirit are immense – these are qualities we can build on, Joachim Nagel stressed in an interview with the “Goslarsche Zeitung” newspaper to mark his speech at the 44th “Goslarsches Pancket”, a social gathering in the historic town of Goslar. Coming together and sharing views was more important than ever right now, given the significant uncertainty caused by the war in the Middle East, the Bundesbank President said. By pulling together, he argued, Europe could make the most of opportunities and thus emerge stronger from this difficult spell.

The Governing Council today decided to keep the three key ECB interest rates unchanged. It is determined to ensure that inflation stabilises at the 2 % target in the medium term. The war in the Middle East has made the outlook significantly more uncertain, creating upside risks for inflation and downside risks for economic growth. 

The worsening energy crisis, a sharp economic slump and abruptly rising market interest rates could put the financial system in Germany under considerable pressure. “To ensure that potential stress is not amplified via the financial system, financial institutions must be sufficiently resilient on their own,” said Claudia Buch, Vice-President of the Deutsche Bundesbank, at the presentation of the 2022 Financial Stability Review. “Financial institutions should assess the impact of adverse scenarios. Given the high uncertainty, they should engage in prudent risk provisioning and exercise caution when distributing profits,” emphasised Bundesbank Executive Board member Joachim Wuermeling.

Die Finanzsanktionen gegen Simbabwe dienen der Durchführung von Sanktionsmaßnahmen der Europäischen Union.

The monetary policy turnaround shaped the Bundesbank’s balance sheet last year. The profit and loss account for 2022 reported a distributable profit of zero. This result was achieved by tapping €1 billion worth of risk provisions. As in the previous years, no profit was transferred to the Federal budget. “The Bundesbank sustained exceptional financial burdens in 2022,” Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel said at the joint press conference with Executive Board member Joachim Wuermeling.