BOP-F was initiated by the Bundesbank to meet the need for detailed and up-to-date information on the economic situation of firms in Germany after the abrupt and severe slump in economic activity triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic in spring 2020. The survey in particular allows obtaining information on the pandemics effects on the general economy, on the financial situation of firms and on future expectations in the corporate sector.

Since July 2021 the survey is carried out monthly with around 3,000 participating firms. With a rotating panel design, the burden on firms is kept as low as possible by contacting a given firm only once a quarter. The questionnaire remains unchanged within a quarter. Thus, the survey data for each month represent a cross-sectional data set, but the individual cross-sectional data sets can be combined into a quarterly unbalanced panel. In a pilot phase from June 2020 to May 2021, another five waves of surveys were conducted.

The survey consists of recurring key questions about the economic situation of firms and their expectations and special modules that differ from quarter to quarter and often deal with current topics including but not limited to Covid-19 pandemic effects (e.g., liquidity constraints and effects of VAT cuts), climate change, and digitalization.

Data from June 2020 to March 2022 are now available for research purposes.