The October 2012 monthly report contains: The financial crisis and balance of payments developments within the euro area; The development of state government finances in Germany since 2005; The importance of trade credit for corporate financing in Germany – evidence from financial statements statistics; The use of cash and cashless payment instruments: a microeconomic analysis.

Has payment behaviour in Germany changed in recent years and, if so, how? This is the question posed in this study, which is based on survey data gathered in the autumn of 2011 in a repeat of the survey on payment behaviour first carried out in 2008. The aim was to identify how payment behaviour has developed since then, taking into account a number of new aspects.