Speaking at a symposium, Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel said an official farewell to Claudia Buch and Joachim Wuermeling, both of whom had left the Executive Board on 31 December 2023. Claudia Buch had been Vice-President of the Bundesbank since 2014 and Joachim Wuermeling had been an Executive Board member since 2016. 

Bundesbankpräsident Jens Weidmann misst den Finanzierungsbedingungen auf dem Weg zur Preisstabilität eine wichtige Funktion bei. „Aus meiner Sicht sollten sich die Finanzierungsbedingungen im Einklang mit der wirtschaftlichen Erholung im Euroraum entwickeln können. Es geht also gerade nicht darum, ein bestimmtes Zinsniveau geldpolitisch zu zementieren“, sagte Weidmann bei einer virtuellen Rede in Frankfurt.

The Bundesbank is about to become a hub for joint digital financial innovations developed by central banks from all over the world. Together, the French central bank and the Bundesbank will set up an innovation centre in Frankfurt am Main and Paris. Both banks are thus part of the Bank for International Settlements’ global “BIS Innovation Hub” network.

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann sees a need for monetary policy action stemming from the subdued medium-term inflation in the euro area. However, he also considers it crucial that the share of outstanding government bonds held by central banks does not become too large. “Otherwise, we would be running the risk of gaining a dominant market influence and smoothing out the differences in risk premia for government bonds,” Mr Weidmann said in a speech delivered virtually at the Humboldt University in Berlin.

According to Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann central banks could do more to curb global warming. In an op-ed for the “Financial Times” he pointed out a number of possible courses of action. However, he added, central banks should stay focused on their primary objective, price stability. “When it comes to saving the planet, central banks do not have a magic wand”, he wrote.

Banken im Euro-Raum können sich derzeit so günstig Geld bei der Europäischen Zentralbank leihen wie nie zuvor. Langfristig bergen niedrige Zinsen allerdings Gefahren.

The Bundesbank invited civil society organisations to a virtual event in order to listen to their views on issues relating to the Eurosystem’s monetary policy strategy. Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann thanked the participants for their contributions and announced that he would raise the insights gained in the ECB Governing Council’s deliberations.

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann believes all institutions have a duty to ask themselves how they can contribute to combating climate change within the framework of their mandate. “I am convinced that we all can do more to mitigate climate change, without risking conflict with our very own tasks. And we should do more,” Mr Weidmann said in a speech delivered virtually in Frankfurt.

German economic output declined in the third quarter of 2018 for the first time in three and a half years. “This decline is primarily due to a drop in output in the automotive sector,” explained Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann at an event in Berlin.

At its monetary policy meeting on 23 January, the Governing Council of the ECB decided to review its monetary policy strategy. Alongside the national central banks, this newly launched process will also engage with the general public and civil society.