The Deutsche Bundesbank mourns the passing of its former president, Helmut Schlesinger, who died on 23 December 2024 at the age of 100. 

Helmut Schlesinger joined the Bundesbank’s predecessor institution, the Bank deutscher Länder, as a young economist in 1952. At the Bundesbank, he was appointed Head of the Economics and Statistics Department in 1964; he joined the Bundesbank’s Directorate as chief economist in 1972. He became Vice-President on 1 January 1980 before being appointed as President of the Bundesbank on 1 August 1991, an office he held until his retirement at the end of September 1993. 

Helmut Schlesinger will be remembered in particular for his commitment to the stability of the D-Mark, which brought him international recognition. To this day, he is also credited with spreading the concept of stability, modelled on the Bundesbank, throughout Europe. 

“Helmut Schlesinger’s actions always followed clear and consistent lines aimed at maintaining monetary stability. In his over 41 years at the Bundesbank, he made a great contribution to making the D-Mark one of the world’s most stable currencies and also the anchor of stability in the subsequent European Monetary System,” Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel said. Our thoughts and best wishes go out to his family and loved ones, he added.