The Deutsche Bundesbank posted a profit of €664 million for the financial year 2012 compared with €643 million in 2011. This was paid over in full to the Federal Government on 12 March 2013 pursuant to section 27 number 2 of the Bundesbank Act.

Bundesbank Executive Board member Carl-Ludwig Thiele says it would be a bad idea to abolish cash. Besides being highly risky, the drawbacks would far outweigh the benefits, Mr Thiele said at the Bundesbank's fourth cash symposium, adding that he is in no doubt that cash will still matter in the future.

The finance ministers and central bank governors of the G20 countries met in Washington to continue their discussions on core issues of the German G20 presidency. Besides global economic growth prospects, the main focus was on financial market regulation and the further development of global economic and financial governance.

The accession of Lithuania as the euro area’s 19th member state as from the beginning of 2015 will trigger a new voting procedure, in which the voting rights of the national central bank (NCB) governors at ECB Governing Council meetings will rotate. This is designed to ensure that decisions can still be taken efficiently in future, too.

Der Rat der Europäischen Zentralbank hat am 10. März eine Reihe geldpolitischer Maßnahmen beschlossen, um für einen stärkeren Preisauftrieb im Euro-Raum zu sorgen. Die Notenbanken im Eurosystem weiten danach ihr Anleihekauf­programm aus, auch die Leitzinsen werden weiter gesenkt.

Dr Jens Weidmann, President of the Deutsche Bundesbank

Selon le président de la Deutsche Bundesbank, Jens Weidmann, le commerce international favorise la diffusion d'idées nouvelles ainsi que de produits meilleurs et augmente la productivité, ce qui entraîne habituellement une hausse des salaires. "Les économies ouvertes ont par conséquent un niveau de vie plus élevé que celles qui sont fermées", a déclaré M. Weidmann dans l’hebdomadaire "Focus". Il a par ailleurs indiqué que l'Allemagne allait s’engager à ce que le G20 maintienne son attachement en faveur de marchés ouverts avec une concurrence loyale.

Dr Jens Weidmann, President of the Deutsche Bundesbank, Speech at the American Council on Germany

Following the severe recession in the first half of this year, the German economy is likely to recover again. According to current Bundesbank projections, economic output will contract by 7% in 2020, yet in the next two years, real gross domestic product (GDP) could then increase by 3 to 4% per year.