German direct investment abroad totalled €1,277 billion at the end of 2018. This represents an increase of €70 billion on the year. The United States was again the most important destination for German direct investors, with a figure of €361 billion.

According to a quarterly survey of 34 banks conducted by the Bundesbank, German banks tightened their credit standards and lending terms and conditions further in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. At the same time, there was considerable growth in enterprises’ demand for loans in the first quarter of 2020.

Households’ financial assets rose by €126 billion to around €6.5 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2019. Valuation gains were the main reason for this increase. Households also increased their holdings of currency, deposits, investment fund shares and claims on insurance corporations.

General government debt in Germany was down by €16 billion in 2019 to €2.053 trillion. The debt ratio – the ratio of debt to nominal gross domestic product – therefore fell to 59.8%, dropping below the Maastricht Treaty’s reference value of 60% for the first time since 2002. However, given the coronavirus pandemic and the associated costs, general government debt will rise again sharply in 2020.

In Germany, 32% of the holders of contactless debit cards such as girocard are now taking advantage of the opportunity to pay “on the go”. This is the outcome of a survey commis-sioned by the Bundesbank. “Contactless payment has thus become a fixture of daily life,” according to Bundesbank Executive Board member Burkhard Balz.

The Bundesbank posted a profit of €5.8 billion for the 2019 financial year. Following adjustment of the reserves, the Bank also registered its highest distributable profit since 2008, at €5.9 billion, up from the previous year’s €2.4 billion. The Bundesbank has transferred the profit in full to the Federal Ministry of Finance.

The Bundesbank registered approximately 55,200 counterfeit euro banknotes with a nominal value of €3.3 million in 2019, representing a 5% decrease on the year. Statistically, this equates to seven counterfeit banknotes per 10,000 inhabitants.

The Deutsche Bundesbank and Deutsche Börse have presented the results of a concept study on the use of distributed ledger technology (DLT) in the area of collateral management. This study outlines that, in principle, DLT is capable of delivering further benefits in terms of the velocity and usability of collateral.