The Bundesbank adopted a dedicated mission statement for the first time in 2016. It augments the common mission statement of the Eurosystem, to which the Bundesbank belongs as one of 19 national central banks.

The mission statement expresses the Bundesbank’s defining features, how it interprets its mandate and the future vision it aspires to. It is also intended to guide employees in their day-to-day conduct in the Bank.

Three elements make up the mission statement: vision, mission and guiding principles.

Vision

The vision is the big picture of what the Bank is aiming to look like in the long term.

The mission

The Bundesbank’s mission describes in more detail what the Bundesbank’s defining features are, and how it interprets its role and mandate.

Contributing to stability

As an integral part of the ESCB, we contribute to its primary objective – safeguarding price stability – and share responsibility for the stability of the financial system. In addition, we ensure robust payment and settlement systems and assure the national cash supply. We perform tasks in the field of European and national banking supervision, manage Germany's foreign reserves and aspire to anchor our stability culture in the minds of the general public.

Our employees are our greatest asset

Our employees' strong personal and professional skills, their commitment and our research work are what enable us to fulfil our tasks successfully.

Independence

Our actions are always guided by our legally mandated independence and responsibilities, and we respect the rules of an open market economy with free competition. We consider the legal foundations of monetary union enshrined in the Maastricht Treaties to be essential for us to successfully fulfil our tasks.

Guiding principles

The guiding principles are the third element, which flesh out the mission statement. They are guidelines for the day-to-day conduct of our employees and describe the strengths of the German central bank.

We are experts in analysis

Our strong analytical expertise sets our ideas and performance apart within the Eurosystem/ESCB and at the international and national level. Our highly qualified employees and practice-oriented research in key policy areas are crucial to our success.

We are the central bank for Germany

As Germany's central bank, we have a local presence across Germany’s regions, where we share our expertise in a number of areas, including payments, cash management, banking supervision, credit assessment, economic education and monetary policy. Our public relations work is making a significant contribution towards anchoring our stability culture in the minds of the general public.

We have strong operational expertise

Our operational expertise and forward-looking approach make us a reliable partner in the Eurosystem and for our customers. As an integral part of the Eurosystem, we provide individual services – including in cooperation with other central banks – to the Eurosystem and use services offered by partner central banks. We therefore have a hand in shaping both the Eurosystem and its products. In accordance with our statutory mandate, we do not crowd private services out of the market.

We are credible in our actions

By acting with credibility, we ensure our independence. We perform our tasks responsibly and transparently. This is the basis for the confidence the population and the markets have in our stability focus. By making decisions that are comprehensible and reasoned, we strengthen our employees' team spirit and their identification with the Bundesbank.

We embrace a culture of openness and cooperation

At the Bundesbank, we embrace a culture of openness by promoting respect and trust across all business areas and by actively implementing our management principles, with all parts of the Bank working towards its common goals. This makes us a trustworthy partner for our customers and a valued employer.

We ensure our actions are cost-effective, sustainable and forward-looking

We are effective and efficient at fulfilling our statutory duties. At the same time, our actions follow the principle of sustainability.