The July 2016 edition of the Monthly Report describes how the Bank Lending Survey has evolved since the onset of the financial crisis and analyses approaches to containing sovereign debt crises in the euro area. It also discusses two new minimum prudential standards – total loss-absorbing capacity (TLAC) and the minimum requirement for own funds and eligible liabilities (MREL) – in connection with the resolution and restructuring of banks.

Cash continues to be consumers’ preferred payment method. Nonetheless, the turnover share of cash transactions in the German retail trade has been slowly but continually falling for years.