Germany’s primary direct investment stocks abroad (outward FDI) continued to rise in 2015. By contrast, the foreign direct investment stocks in Germany (inward FDI) fell slightly.

In the first quarter of 2017, German credit institutions eased their credit standards in some areas. This is revealed by the latest Bank Lending Survey (BLS) conducted among banks domiciled in Germany.

At the end of the fourth quarter of 2016, households' financial assets amounted to €5,586 billion; this figure was up markedly by €98 billion (or 1.8%) from the third quarter of 2016. The increase owed partly to substantial valuation gains of just over €53 billion on financial assets, in particular on equities and investment fund shares.

Starting on Tuesday, the Deutsche Bundesbank will be issuing the new €50 banknotes. Following on from the €5, €10 and €20 notes, the €50 note is now the fourth denomination of the new "Europa" series to be brought into circulation in Germany.

General government debt in Germany as defined in the Maastricht Treaty fell by €18 billion in 2016 and amounted to roughly €2.140 trillion at the end of the year, €65 billion down on its peak in 2012.

The Deutsche Bundesbank and Child & Youth Finance International (CYFI) today jointly launched this year’s Global Money Week (GMW) under the motto "Learn.Save.Earn."

The Bundesbank successfully continued its transfers of gold last year. In 2016, more than 216 tonnes of gold were transferred to Frankfurt am Main from storage locations abroad: 111 tonnes from New York and 105 tonnes from Paris.

With the close of the business day on 6 February 2017, the German market with its central securities depository, Clearstream Banking AG, migrated successfully, as scheduled, to TARGET2-Securities (T2S), the Eurosystem’s single shared platform for securities settlement.

In 2016, the Deutsche Bundesbank registered approximately 82,200 counterfeit euro banknotes with a nominal value of €4.2 million, which represents a 14 % decrease year on year. Statistically, this equates to ten counterfeit banknotes per 10,000 inhabitants.

On the whole, German banks made only minor adjustments to their credit standards in the fourth quarter of 2016, as is revealed by the latest Bank Lending Survey (BLS) conducted among banks domiciled in Germany.

This year, the Deutsche Bundesbank will be celebrating its 60th anniversary. The legislation which brought it into being, the Bundesbank Act (Gesetz über die Deutsche Bundesbank), was signed into law on 26 July 1957 by the Federal President.

At the end of the third quarter of 2016, households' financial assets amounted to €5,478 billion; this figure was up by a considerable €76 billion (or 1.4%) from the second quarter of 2016.

The Deutsche Bundesbank mourns the passing of its former president, Hans Tietmeyer, who died on 27 December 2016 at the age of 85.

The Deutsche Bundesbank calculates the basic rate of interest pursuant to section 247 (1) of the German Civil Code (Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch) and publishes its current level in the Federal Gazette (Bundesanzeiger) pursuant to section 247 (2) of the German Civil Code.

The Bundesbank opens its extensively redesigned Money Museum on 17 December 2016. Following elaborate construction and modernisation work, the museum presents itself to the public as an interactive learning venue.

Persistently low interest rates and muted growth in the real economy are encouraging the build-up of risks to financial stability. "In the current macroeconomic setting, there is the danger that market participants might underestimate risks and fail to adequately take into account the possibility of asset prices falling and interest rates rising," said Claudia Buch.

Dr Joachim Wuermeling today took up office as a member of the Executive Board of the Deutsche Bundesbank. The Bundesbank's Executive Board has therefore reshuffled its areas of responsibility.

As at the end of December 2015, households' financial assets amounted to €5,318 billion; this figure was €105 billion (or 2.0%) higher than at the end of the third quarter.

German banks adjusted their credit standards chiefly by narrowing margins in the third quarter of 2016, as is revealed by the latest Bank Lending Survey (BLS) conducted among the participating banks domiciled in Germany.

The Deutsche Bundesbank is presenting Germany's multifaceted culture as part of the European Central Bank's European Cultural Days, a series of events which will be taking place between 17 October and 1 December 2016. Teaming up with cultural institutions from Frankfurt, the Bundesbank and ECB have put together a rich and varied programme ranging from classical orchestral concerts and modern dance to literature and contemporary art.

Given persistent global uncertainty, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is seeking to maintain its current lending capacity, which would have begun to diminish gradually beginning in October since the 2012 bilateral borrowing agreements – including the agreement with the Bundesbank – are scheduled to expire.

Germany's net external position stood at €1,476 billion at the end of 2015, and thus amounted to around 49 % of gross domestic product. The German net external asset position rose by €302 billion year-on-year.