In the period from January to June 2024, the Bundesbank removed significantly more counterfeit money from circulation in Germany than in the six months prior, detecting around 38,600 counterfeit euro banknotes with a nominal value of €2.4 million. This was 29% more than in the second half of 2023. Meanwhile, the total loss arising from counterfeit banknotes was only slightly up, by just under 5%. The increase was driven by easily identifiable counterfeits, especially of €10 and €20 banknotes, said Burkhard Balz, the Bundesbank’s Executive Board member whose remit includes cash management.

The Bundesbank has unveiled a new book which takes a closer look at Germany’s gold reserves. Highly informative and richly illustrated, Das Gold der Deutschen (Germany's Gold) is published by Hirmer-Verlag and is available from bookshops or the Bank’s Money Museum. An English translation will be published shortly.

Büroflächen im Dienstgebäude

The Deutsche Bundesbank has unveiled a special exhibition dedicated to gold at its Money Museum. Exhibits include a selection of the most interesting gold bars and coins from the Bundesbank’s collection. The exhibition will be open until 30 September.

Last year, the Deutsche Bundesbank successfully completed the transfer of its gold stocks from New York. "The realisation of the gold storage plan is therefore well ahead of the original schedule," said Carl-Ludwig Thiele, Member of the Bundesbank’s Executive Board, at a press conference in Frankfurt am Main.

The Bundesbank has completed its gold transfer process earlier than originally planned. After the gold in New York was able to be transferred ahead of schedule in 2016, roughly 91 tonnes of gold still remained in Paris. This was relocated to Frankfurt this year and as a result, there are no longer any German gold reserves in Paris.