German export market shares have been contracting since 2017, and especially since 2021. According to the latest Monthly Report, this is largely due to a deterioration in the competitiveness of the German economy. More than three-quarters of the losses in market shares between 2021 and 2023 were the result of supply-side constraints. In this issue, the authors look at what is behind the decline in German export market shares and derive possible structural reforms.

Monetary policy must be reliable, but policymakers must not overly restrict its flexibility, Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel said at the 10th Bundesbank IAW Lecture in Tübingen. In his speech, Nagel addressed the ECB’s original monetary policy strategy, which has undergone significant reviews. 

As part of the Bundesbank Invited Speakers Series (BISS), Hiroshi Nakaso, Chairman of the Daiwa Institute of Research and former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Japan, delivered a keynote speech at the Bundesbank’s Regional Office in Hesse. Under the title “Germany and Japan 2.0 – Addressing Common Challenges at a Global Inflection Point”, the event brought together perspectives on economic developments in two of the world’s largest industrial economies.

What does the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) among firms mean for the financial industry and financial supervision? How is the increasing digitalisation of payments affecting the financial industry? At BaFinTech, a two-day industry conference co-hosted by the Bundesbank and BaFin in Berlin, representatives of the two authorities discussed digital innovations and the associated risks and rewards with both the financial sector and experts from academia and industry.