The German economy will experience a setback in the final quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022 on account of the pandemic, but is set to pick up significant momentum again in spring of next year. “The upswing has been slightly delayed,” said Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann at the presentation of his institution’s current projections. According to these projections, gross domestic product will increase by 2.5% this year – less strongly than anticipated back in June – in light of the dip in growth. Over the next two years, calendar adjusted economic growth will then rebound to 4.2% and 3.2%, respectively.

The costs of payment methods for consumers are difficult to determine, not recorded in a harmonised manner on an international level and consequently vary significantly from country to country. For this reason, a separate study is necessary for Germany. As part of a representative survey conducted in 2023, households were asked about the costs they incurred when using various means of payment.