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. 

The January 2019 edition of the Bundesbank’s Monthly Report looks into how a normalisation of interest rates will impact on balance sheets in the euro area’s private non-financial sector and explores price competitiveness in a number of euro area countries in terms of the development, drivers and influence of labour market reforms. The Report also features an analysis of financial cycles in the euro area and sheds light on International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) 9 from a banking supervision angle.