Cash continues to be the most frequently used means of payment in Germany, although cashless payments are increasing their share. These are the findings of the Bundesbank’s sixth study on payment behaviour in Germany for 2021. Respondents used banknotes and coins to make a total of 58% of their payments for purchases of goods and services, compared with 74% in the Bundesbank’s last major study from 2017. The lower use of cash was mainly due to the increase in online purchases during the coronavirus pandemic.

Dr. Joachim Lang (Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie e.V),  Eckhard Forst (NRW.BANK), Alexander Schulz (Deutsche Bundesbank)

Beginning on 30 June, the Deutsche Bundesbank’s numismatic collection will be presenting a special exhibition on the topic of “Money Creators”: at six stations, visitors can learn more about the key people and institutions who, as “money creators”, decide what counts as money. The exhibition will be on display until the end of May 2022.

Die Studie mit dem Titel „Euro money market study 2020“ kommt zu dem Ergebnis, dass sich die Aktivität am Euro-Geldmarkt nach wie vor auf das besicherte Segment und Devisenswaps konzentriert. 

Die Europäische Zentralbank (EZB) hat mit der kroatischen Zentralbank (Hrvatska narodna banka, HNB) und der rumänischen Zentralbank (Banca Naţională a României, BNR) vereinbart, die jeweiligen Euro-Liquiditätslinien um sechs Monate bis Ende Juni 2021 zu verlängern.

The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) has issued a general administrative act regarding the domestic countercyclical buffer rate. The rate was lowered from 0.25% to 0% with effect from 1 April 2020. 

Der Überschuss in der Leistungsbilanz des Euro-Währungsgebiets sank in den vier Quartalen bis zum zweiten Quartal 2020 auf 252 Mrd € (2,2 % des BIP im Euroraum), verglichen mit 261 Mrd € ein Jahr zuvor.