As a trading centre, Germany still ranks in the top quarter in an international comparison. Turnover in foreign exchange trading has increased slightly, while transactions involving interest rate derivatives have taken a sharp downward turn.

In the first half of 2016, the Bundesbank recorded approximately 45,700 counterfeit euro banknotes with a nominal value of €2.3 million. This means that the number of counterfeits rose slightly (by 1.7%) compared with the second half of 2015. Statistically, this equates to around 11 counterfeit banknotes per 10,000 inhabitants in Germany per year.

German banks adjusted their credit standards to varying degrees in the three surveyed business lines in the second quarter, as is revealed by the latest Bank Lending Survey (BLS) conducted among participating banks domiciled in Germany.