Private payment media and the role of central banks in the digital age.

In Germany and Europe, established banks are increasingly viewing FinTechs as “partners” rather than competitors, Bundesbank Executive Board member Burkhard Balz said during a speech in Cape Town. “This is because banks can benefit from the innovative potential of these newcomers, while FinTechs can benefit from the existing customer relations and consumers’ trust in banks.”

Bundesbank Executive Board member Sabine Mauderer has called on enterprises to diversify their funding. In an op-ed piece in the German Handelsblatt newspaper, she writes that, although bank loans remain important, a variety of funding sources are needed to withstand crises and to remain innovative.

How will cash be used in the future? A recent Bundesbank study has investigated this question, outlining three different scenarios for cash payments in 2037. The study provides an idea of the social and economic environment in which cash will be embedded in the future.

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann says that a uniform set of rules is needed to regulate financial technology start-ups. "It would be wrong for fintechs to base their business models on regulatory loopholes," he said at a conference during Germany's G20 presidency. Federal Finance Minister Dr Wolfgang Schäuble and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands highlighted the opportunities that digitalisation holds in store for developing countries.