Euro area central banks "can't take any consideration of government financing burdens" when normalising monetary policy, Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann says. "If price pressures rise, then we have to tighten our monetary policy," he told the Wirtschaftswoche business periodical.

Bundesbank Executive Board member Andreas Dombret has warned financial institutions against underestimating climate risks. The financial sector is being increasingly affected by the rising costs resulting from extreme weather events, as well as by far-reaching changes in climate policy, he said in a speech in Singapore.

The upswing in the global economy is gaining momentum, believes Bundesbank Executive Board member Andreas Dombret. In the run-up to the Annual Meeting of the International Monetary Fund, he argued for taking advantage of favourable economic conditions to increase the growth potential of national economies through structural reforms.

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.

As in previous years, the Bundesbank will be taking part in this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair, which will be held from 11 to 15 October. The Bundesbank is organising a programme for children, coin collectors and banknote buffs, and this year, there will be something for film fans, too. You will find the Bundesbank stand in Hall 3.1 (C49).

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann has been appointed to sit on an international board for the promotion of financial literacy among young people in Europe.

The profitability of German banks declined in their core business areas in 2016, as the latest Monthly Report points out in an analysis of the annual financial statements of German credit institutions. Earnings from interest and commission business fell by €5.4 billion to €120.9 billion last year.

The final wave of migration to the European securities settlement platform TARGET2-Securities (T2S) has been successfully completed. Nearly all European securities settlements are now being conducted through T2S.

In the latest Monthly Report, the Bundesbank’s payment specialists look at distributed ledger technology (DLT).

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann believes that the Governing Council of the European Central Bank should make sure that it does not miss the right time for monetary policy normalisation. Speaking in Frankfurt, he noted that monetary conditions would continue to support economic activity for a long time to come.