In 2022, the Bundesbank registered approximately 44,100 counterfeit euro banknotes with a nominal value of €2.7 million in German payments. The number of counterfeits was thus up by 5.2% on the year.

Die Bundesbank hat im Jahr 2021 rund 42.000 falsche Euro-Banknoten im Nennwert von 1,9 Millionen Euro registriert. Das entspricht einem Rückgang von 28,6 Prozent gegenüber dem Vorjahr. Der Rückgang sei auf die verminderten Absatzmöglichkeiten für die Hersteller und Verbreiter von Falschgeld zurückzuführen, erläuterte Bundesbankvorstand Johannes Beermann.

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In the first half of 2022, around 19,800 counterfeit euro banknotes with a nominal value of just under €1 million were withdrawn from circulation in Germany. The number of counterfeits fell by 3.9% compared with the second half of 2021. This equates to five counterfeit banknotes per 10,000 inhabitants.

The following text provides an overview of the regulations regarding the reproduction of banknotes and coins.

A recent Bundesbank study looks at how cash will be used in the future. It outlines three different scenarios for cash payments in 2037. “The idea of the future scenarios is to help set the right course so that cash remains generally available and accepted as an attractive means of payment and store of value going forward,” explained Burkhard Balz as he introduced the study.