Significant decline in number of credit institutions – further substantial number of branch closures Following reclassification of the former securities trading banks, decline in foreign branches; number of foreign subsidiaries down slightly.

In April 2022, Germany’s current account recorded a surplus of €7.4 billion, down €11.3 billion on the previous month’s level. This was chiefly due to a decrease in the goods account surplus, but was also attributable to a somewhat lower surplus in invisible current transactions, which comprise services as well as primary and secondary income.

The Bundesbank assumes that the economy will grow by 1.9% this year. “The economic recovery is therefore likely to continue, but at a much more subdued pace than projected last December,” according to the current edition of the experts’ semi-annual projection. The annual average inflation rate for 2022 is set to rise to 7.1%.

The German current account recorded a surplus of €18.8 billion in March 2022, down €2.3 billion on the previous month’s level.

Germany’s outward foreign direct investment (FDI) stocks fell by €10 billion to €1,376 billion in 2020. This decline was mainly due to negative exchange rate effects, which led to a lower valuation of the stocks, a Bundesbank press release on these figures explains. The same period saw stocks of FDI in Germany increase by €39 billion to €845 billion.

Households’ financial assets grew by €161 billion to €7,618 billion in the fourth quarter of 2021. Taking all transactions and valuation effects into account, growth was thus significantly higher than in the (weak) third quarter.

The German current account recorded a surplus of €20.8 billion in February 2022, up €8.4 billion on the previous month’s level. This was mainly attributable to an increase in the goods account surplus. Conversely, the surplus in invisible current transactions, which comprise services as well as primary and secondary income, contracted slightly. 

German banks tightened their credit standards for loans to enterprises marginally in the first quarter 2022. The banks also applied stricter standards for loans to households for house purchase. Meanwhile, credit standards for consumer credit and other lending remained unchanged.

Ingrid Herden, who will be joining the Bundesbank in June, will be taking over as Director General Communications and the President’s spokesperson on 1 October 2022 from Michael Best, who is leaving the Bundesbank at the end of September after 11 years of service.