In 2024, Germany paid more to the European level than it received by around 0.4 % of its gross national income (€18 billion), as explained in the current edition of the Bundesbank’s Monthly Report. It was thus one of ten Member States that made net contributions to the EU budget and the NextGenerationEU (NGEU) off-budget entity. It was not among the frontrunners, however, as it received significantly more NGEU grants than it did in previous years. Once every year, the Bundesbank calculates the net contributions to the EU budget and NGEU. In addition, the Monthly Report examines the European Commission’s proposal for the next multiannual financial framework.

Merchants are not just participants in the digital euro project – they are its driving force, said Executive Board member Burkhard Balz during an event in Brussels. Representatives from politics, business and trade discussed the opportunities and challenges presented by a digital euro during the conference entitled The digital €uro: a game changer for European merchants.

The Bundesbank is committed to ensuring that people can always pay whichever way they prefer – be it cash or cashless. In this context, the Bundesbank has looked into how the public views the acceptance of cashless means of payment in Germany. It was found that over one in two respondents had wanted to make a cashless payment at least once in recent months but were unable to do so due to cashless payment instruments not being accepted. In addition, just under three-quarters of respondents are in favour of the idea of mandating cashless payment acceptance. 

Speaking at the Bundesbank’s third Financial Centre Conference, Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel said that Germany needed to pick up the pace of structural reform if it is to overcome its weak growth. According to First Deputy Governor Sabine Mauderer, there needs to be a capital market for all, whether people want to save for retirement or invest in German businesses. At the conference, decision-makers from the world of politics, business and finance discussed how Germany and Europe could finance their future.

The German economy is likely to grow slightly in the third quarter of 2025, the Bundesbank’s Monthly Report states. Despite continued unfavourable investment conditions for firms and additional burdens caused by the new US tariffs, there were no signs of any major setbacks for industry. It got off to a surprisingly strong start in the third quarter. A recovery in construction output is yet to materialise, however. Private consumption is likely to increase slightly, if at all, as the labour market is not providing any strong stimulus at present. The inflation rate rose to 2.1 % in August.

We are striving to make regulation clearer, more understandable and more efficient – while continuing to safeguard the stability of the banking system, said Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel at the Bundesbank’s 13th regulatory conference in Frankfurt. At the conference, representatives from banks and securities and insurance companies joined policymakers to discuss current opportunities and challenges for the financial industry and supervisors in Germany.

Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel has opened the “Nature and structure” art exhibition at the Bundesbank’s Chemnitz branch. This exhibition is one way in which Germany’s central bank is marking the 2025 year of culture, during which Chemnitz is the European Capital of Culture. Boasting some 40 works of modern and contemporary art from the Bundesbank’s collection, this exhibition will be open to the general public until 7 November.

According to the Federal Statistical Office’s flash estimate, seasonally adjusted real gross domestic product (GDP) recorded a quarter-on-quarter decline of 0.1 % in the second quarter, after still rising markedly in the previous two quarters. The Monthly Report states that after US tariffs were raised in April, industrial output and exports recorded a fall-off. While private consumption benefited from a sharp rise in wages, the labour market remained too weak to generate stronger momentum. The inflation rate fell distinctly in the second quarter.

Goethe University Frankfurt has appointed Bundesbank Executive Board member Fritzi Köhler-Geib as an honorary professor. Dr Köhler-Geib has been teaching master level courses in international and development economics/economic policy within the university’s economics and business department since 2021. She will continue to provide students on her courses, which focus on the intersection of financial markets and the real economy, with her practice-oriented perspective on policy measures to support economic growth and transformation processes.

Our historical archives contain sources which give an exact account of gold swap transactions with the central bank of the United States – the Fed. The sources show how the Bundesbank’s quality control procedures and its stringent requirements regarding the composition of its gold made an accurate settlement of accounts possible.