The ECB and the 21 central banks that are signatories of the fourth Central Bank Gold Agreement have decided not to extend the agreement. The first agreement was signed in 1999 with the aim of coordinating the gold sales planned by the central banks.

How can I spot counterfeit money? How did Germany’s gold reserves come into being? Interesting expert lectures, contests with wonderful prizes on offer and activities for children: the Bundesbank’s stand at the Frankfurt Book Fair had much to offer to visitors.

The Bundesbank’s Money Museum stand at the Embankment Festival in Frankfurt am Main attracted around 16,500 visitors. Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann himself visited the stand and took the opportunity to strike a souvenir coin.

The dining room designed by Victor Vasarely and his son Yvarel and located on the 13th floor of the Bundesbank’s Central Office is to be loaned to the Städel Museum in Frankfurt. There it will be on display from the end of September before being exhibited at the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

The Deutsche Bundesbank has unveiled a special exhibition dedicated to gold at its Money Museum. Exhibits include a selection of the most interesting gold bars and coins from the Bundesbank’s collection. The exhibition will be open until 30 September.

The Bundesbank has unveiled a new book which takes a closer look at Germany’s gold reserves. Highly informative and richly illustrated, Das Gold der Deutschen (Germany's Gold) is published by Hirmer-Verlag and is available from bookshops or the Bank’s Money Museum. An English translation will be published shortly.

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann has conflicting views on the United States’ decision to initially exempt the European Union from the recently enacted tariffs on steel and aluminium. Though it avoided an open trade conflict, the agreement reached between the United States and the EU was no victory for international free trade, Mr Weidmann explained during a speech in Vienna.

A team of historians will be undertaking a comprehensive exploration of the history of the Reichsbank, the Bank deutscher Länder and the Bundesbank during the period from 1923 to 1969. In carrying out their work, they will not be bound by guidelines on the project’s content or any other instructions from the Bundesbank.

German external assets grew by a net €231 billion in 2016, closing the year at €1,709 billion. This increase was chiefly attributable to net capital exports, which were primarily a reflection of last year’s current account surplus.

The Bundesbank has completed the transfer of its gold reserves from New York and Paris to Frankfurt am Main three years ahead of schedule. This means that the objective of its gold storage plan, which was set out in 2013, has been achieved well in advance. More than half of Germany’s gold reserves are now located in Germany.