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.

Given the uncertainties in the markets at present, it is gratifying that institutions are well equipped overall, said Bundesbank Executive Board member Michael Theurer, commenting on the outcome of the latest stress test. The stress testing exercise was run by the European Banking Authority (EBA) in cooperation with the European Central Bank (ECB). It indicated that the euro area’s banking sector remains capable of enduring even under tougher economic conditions.

In the first half of 2025, the Bundesbank withdrew approximately 36,600 counterfeit euro banknotes with a nominal value of just under €2.1 million from circulation in Germany. The number of counterfeits rose by 8 % compared with the second half of 2024. However, the loss arising from counterfeiting remained unchanged.