Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States together form the G7, an informal gathering of the most important industrial economies. The heads of state or government as well as the finance ministers and central bank governors of the G7 nations meet regularly to exchange views and opinions and to coordinate joint policy positions.

Until the end of 2015, Germany has assumed the presidency of the gatherings of the G7, the seven most advanced industrial countries in the world. During this time, the sessions of the G7 finance ministers and central bank governors will be chaired by Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann and Federal Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble.

 Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann believes that the French and Italian governments have finally accepted that reforms had been put on hold for too long. Implementation was now key, he said in an interview with the German weekly newspaper DIE ZEIT, adding that he sincerely hoped for success because both countries were extremely important for the stability of the euro area.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has published its first-ever account, a document summarising the discussions of the ECB Governing Council's monetary policy meetings. The minutes of these meetings, however, will continue to remain locked away for 30 years.

According to the Deutsche Bundesbank's current Monthly Report, prices for apartments and houses are still increasing, but upward pressure on housing prices has weakened, especially for properties in urban areas.

The steep slide in oil prices and the euro's depreciation stimulated economic growth in Germany towards the end of 2014. Gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 0.7% in real terms in the fourth quarter of 2014 compared with the third quarter. The Bundesbank writes in its latest Monthly Report that the economic upturn is set to continue in the current year.

The President of the Bundesbank, Jens Weidmann, believes that measures taken by central banks cannot take the place of necessary structural reforms. During a speech in London, he welcomed the assurances of some European heads of government that they do not intend to ease up in their efforts, but also expressed a certain degree of scepticism.

According to Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann, short-term financial assistance can only buy Greece time. Speaking on the sidelines of the meeting of the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in Istanbul, Weidmann said that Greece could only solve its problems in the long run by making its public finances solid and its economy more competitive.

The Bundesbank received its final payment from the insolvency proceedings concerning Lehman Brothers Bankhaus AG (LBB) in January 2015. This means that the original claim of around €8.5 billion plus accrued costs and interest receivable of roughly €0.8 billion from the years following the insolvency have been settled in full.

The extensive package of measures taken to combat the sovereign debt crisis have led to risk being redistributed among the member states of the euro area, Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann told a conference in Venice. This, he said, undermines the necessary foundation for a stable and prosperous monetary union.