The German current account recorded a surplus of €20.0 billion in February 2025, up €5.0 billion on the previous month’s level. The surplus in invisible current transactions, which comprise services as well as primary and secondary income, declined slightly. However, the surplus in the goods account rose even more strongly.

By way of majority, the National Cash Forum advocates rounding up or down to the nearest 5 euro cent for cash payments in Germany. The Federal Ministry of Finance is called upon to advocate for, and press ahead with, a binding statutory rounding rule in Germany. The rounding rule should be applied across Europe as uniformly as possible.

Germany’s current account recorded a surplus of €18.5 billion in May 2024, down €6.6 billion on the previous month’s level. The goods account surplus increased slightly, but the deficit in invisible current transactions widened to a far greater extent.

Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel, speaking at an event at Ruhr University Bochum, has called for further interest rate steps. Looking to future developments, he said: “In my view, it is by no means certain that interest rates will reach their peak as early as this summer.” He believes that the German economy is well placed to rise to the challenges ahead, even if it did contract over the past two quarters: “With regard to the remainder of the year, our economists are cautiously optimistic. Things should start to pick up again soon, then.”

At the end of 2023, Germany’s net external assets totalled €2,964 billion, thus amounting to just over 70% of Germany’s nominal gross domestic product (GDP). Overall, both assets and liabilities vis-à-vis non-residents rose further in 2023.