The Deutsche Bundesbank posted its first-ever representative to South Africa at the country's German Embassy on 1 August 2016 with a view to deepening the bank's cooperation with the G20 emerging market economy.

The Bundesbank recalls the achievements of its former President Hans Tietmeyer, who has just turned 85. In a conversation with publisher David Marsh, Hans Tietmeyer reviews past monetary policy decisions.

In the latest issue of the Monthly Report, the Bundesbank explains the need for adjustment to the statutory pension insurance scheme arising from continued demographic change, arguing that raising the retirement age again cannot be taboo.

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann has called on European governments to make a decision: relinquish sovereign rights or step up individual national responsibility. "Sooner or later, a pivotal decision has to be taken if we want to safeguard the monetary union as a union of stability," Mr Weidmann said in an interview.

In future, it should be possible to resolve banks in an orderly fashion without endangering financial stability and leaving the taxpayer to foot the bill. With the implementation of TLAC and MREL, new standards were defined at both the global and the European level to ensure the resolvability of institutions in the event of a crisis. In its Monthly Report July 2017, the Bundesbank describes how both concepts work and how they differ from one another.

The financial and sovereign debt crisis has shown that the European monetary union is not crisis-proof. In the current edition of its Monthly Report, the Bundesbank presents a number of different approaches describing how sovereign debt crises can be dealt with more effectively in future and also avoided from the outset.

According to Bundesbank Executive Board member Andreas Dombret, the UK vote to leave the EU is not likely to cause any major turbulence in the financial sector. "I do not see Brexit triggering a new banking crisis," he said.

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann has cautioned against using the Brexit vote as a reason to soften the fiscal rules in the euro area. In an interview with German weekly magazine Focus, Mr Weidmann stressed the importance of member states abiding by shared agreements and joint promises.

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann expects Brexit to place a strain on Germany's economy. It is in the interests of both parties, he says, for the EU and the United Kingdom to quickly enter into level-headed negotiations on their future relationship.

The International Monetary Fund expects moderate economic growth to continue in Germany. At the same time, IMF economists urge Germany to accelerate reforms.