After adjustment for special factors in 2021, the consolidation process in the German banking sector, which has been going on for many years now, continued in 2022. Over the course of the year, the overall number of credit institutions fell by 61 (160 in the previous year) to 1,458.

The Deutsche Bundesbank calculates the basic rate of interest in pursuant to statutory requirements and publishes its current level in the Federal

In April 2023, Germany’s current account recorded a surplus of €21.8 billion, down €8.7 billion on the previous month’s level. This was mainly attributable to a smaller goods account surplus. The surplus in invisible current transactions, which comprise services as well as primary and secondary income, remained practically unchanged.

A secure communication channel designed to protect financial data against future threats from quantum computers has been successfully established by the BIS Innovation Hub Eurosystem Centre and its Eurosystem partners, Banque de France and Deutsche Bundesbank.

The Bundesbank is recalibrating its plans for the renovation of its Central Office in Frankfurt am Main.

Germany’s current account recorded a surplus of €32.4 billion in March 2023, up €9.9 billion on the previous month’s level. This was chiefly attributable to a larger goods account surplus. In addition, the surplus in invisible current transactions, which comprise services as well as primary and secondary income, rose. 

The Bundesbank’s Bank Lending Survey has found that for the third successive time, there was a strong decline in demand for loans to households for house purchase. BLS respondents in the first quarter of 2023 said this was mainly due to increased interest rates, sentiment in the housing market and reduced consumer confidence.

At the end of 2021, Germany’s primary outward foreign direct investment (FDI) stocks were up 8% on the year at €1,506 billion. Stocks of FDI in Germany show a different picture. A decline was recorded for the first time in a long period, with stocks down 2% to €852 billion. At €169 billion, German FDI flows abroad proved robust for 2022, despite being down slightly on the exceptionally high level of the previous year. By contrast, FDI flows from abroad to Germany almost halved to €44 billion.

After three quarters of decline, households’ financial assets grew in the fourth quarter of 2022, standing at €7,254 billion at the end of the year. Households’ claims increased by a total of €68 billion. Following three quarters of significant valuation losses, valuation gains were recorded again, amounting to €43 billion in total.