The September 2017 Monthly Report contains an article on monetary policy indicators at the zero lower bound on the basis of term structure models, and an analysis of the performance of German credit institutions in 2016. Explanations are also provided on the potential and risks of distributed ledger technologies in payments and securities settlement and on the changes and results in the process of extending the investment fund statistics.

Given the upbeat prospects for the economy as a whole, there is little risk to the stability of the German financial system at present. Yet with interest rates sitting at low levels for years now and the economy in such robust shape, there is a danger that market participants might underestimate the risks to financial stability, the Bundesbank cautions.

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.