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.

Germany's economy is experiencing a strong upswing. Driven by lively foreign demand, the manufacturing sector is seeing dynamic growth, while the sharp upturn in business investment is continuing. In addition, private consumption and housing investment continue to benefit from the outstanding labour market situation

The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and the Deutsche Bundesbank have welcomed the agreement reached by the oversight body of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision to wrap up the Basel III reform package.

Germany’s economy has been expanding for eight consecutive years now. Enterprises and households alike can borrow cheaply, and market volatility is low. However, there is a danger that low interest rates and the favourable economic conditions in Germany might cause market participants to underestimate risks.

German credit institutions eased their credit standards in the third quarter 2017, according to the latest Bank Lending Survey conducted among banks domiciled in Germany.

All central banks in the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) are strongly committed to supporting and promoting adherence to the Foreign Exchange Global Code of Conduct (the “Code”). Today, 15 of the ESCB central banks, including the Deutsche Bundesbank, simultaneously issued Statements of Commitment to the Code.

At the end of the second quarter of 2017, households' financial assets amounted to €5,723 billion; this figure was just over €45 billion (or 0.8%) higher than in the first quarter of 2017. As valuation losses reduced financial wealth by roughly €8 billion, the rise was solely attributable to the transaction-based acquisition of financial assets

Germany’s net international investment position stood at €1,709 billion at the end of 2016, thus amounting to around 54% of nominal gross domestic product. Year-on-year, the German net external asset position thereby increased by €231 billion.

The low-interest-rate environment continues to weigh heavily on small and medium-sized credit institutions in Germany. This was established by the latest survey on the profitability and resilience of German financial institutions in a low-interest-rate environment

The Bundesbank has completed its gold transfer process earlier than originally planned. After the gold in New York was able to be transferred ahead of schedule in 2016, roughly 91 tonnes of gold still remained in Paris. This was relocated to Frankfurt this year and as a result, there are no longer any German gold reserves in Paris.

In the first half of 2017, the Bundesbank registered approximately 39,700 counterfeit euro banknotes with a nominal value of €2.2 million. The number of counterfeits rose by 8.7% compared with the second half of 2016. Statistically, this equates to around ten counterfeit banknotes per 10,000 inhabitants in Germany per year.

In the second quarter of 2017, German credit institutions adjusted their credit standards primarily by reducing margins. This is revealed by the latest Bank Lending Survey (BLS) conducted among banks domiciled in Germany.

At the end of the first quarter of 2017, households' financial assets amounted to €5,676 billion; this figure was up markedly, by just over €84 billion (1.5%), from the fourth quarter of 2016. The rise was predominantly attributable to the transaction-based acquisition of financial assets, which, at roughly €60 billion, was higher than in the preceding quarters.

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 consolidation process in the German banking sector gained momentum last year. Over the course of 2016, the overall number of credit institutions (in Germany) fell by 72 to 1,888 institutions. This corresponds to a 3.7% decline in 2016 compared with a drop of 1.5% in 2015.

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.