In the first half of 2023, the Bundesbank withdrew approximately 26,700 counterfeit euro banknotes with a nominal value of just under €2.9 million from circulation in Germany. This was 10% more counterfeit banknotes than in the second half of 2022. The number of counterfeit €200 and €500 banknotes rose in particular. “The incidence of counterfeit banknotes is still low, however. Statistically speaking, there were six counterfeit banknotes per 10,000 inhabitants,” stated Burkhard Balz, the Bundesbank Executive Board member responsible for cash management.

Die EZB erarbeitet hohe Datenschutzstandards, um digitale Online- und Offline-Zahlungen so weit wie möglich mit Bargeldtransaktionen vergleichbar zu machen. Sie hat mit der Entwicklung einer Methodik zur Kalibrierung der Obergrenzen für das Halten des digitalen Euro begonnen.

Real gross domestic product will probably decline again slightly in the first quarter of 2024, according to the March Monthly Report. The economy continues to experience headwinds from various directions. Domestic and foreign demand for German industrial products went down further. In addition, higher financing costs dampened domestic demand. Moreover, the available survey indicators still provide little evidence of an economic recovery for the coming quarter. 

The costs of payment methods for consumers are difficult to determine, not recorded in a harmonised manner on an international level and consequently vary significantly from country to country. For this reason, a separate study is necessary for Germany. As part of a representative survey conducted in 2023, households were asked about the costs they incurred when using various means of payment.