The German economy grew strongly in the past year. Driven by strong consumption growth, real gross domestic product (GDP), according to initial calculations by the Federal Statistical Office, was up by 1.7% from 2014.

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann has rebuffed demands by the International Monetary Fund for Germany to use fiscal policy space for growth-stimulating measures. A more accommodative German fiscal policy would not relieve the perceived drag on the global economy, he said at a press conference following the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings.

Bundesbank Executive Board member Joachim Wuermeling sees digital financial and money functions pursued by initiatives ranging from clouds to Libra as a major challenge facing European banking supervisors. At an event in Frankfurt, Wuermeling stated that “if risk-relevant links in the financial value chain evade supervision, for credit institutions, it’s a matter of a level playing field, but for us as supervisors it’s a question of financial stability.”

The financial assets of households in Germany stood at €5,875 billion at the end of the first quarter of 2018. Compared with the fourth quarter of 2017, this represents just a moderate increase of €14 billion, or 0.2%. In the first quarter, claims on insurance corporations grew in particular (€22 billion), followed by currency and deposits, which saw inflows totalling just under €15 billion.