Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel officially inaugurated Ulf Slopek as President of the Regional Office in Hesse in a ceremony attended by over 150 invited guests – and said a formal farewell to Mr Slopek’s predecessor Thomas Ollinger, who now heads the Bundesbank’s Directorate General Procurement.

The tendency of monetary policy to influence investors’ risk appetite has a significant impact on the effectiveness of the Eurosystem’s monetary policy on the macroeconomy and financial markets, according to an article in the latest Monthly Report. In it, the authors examine the impact of monetary policy measures on the risk appetite of euro area investors. Their analysis is based on a new broad-based indicator of risk appetite in the euro area.

“I see a step forwards towards future-proofing our currency and, ultimately, also a clear signal for greater European autonomy,” Bundesbank Executive Board member Burkhard Balz says about the digital euro in an interview with the daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. He also tells the newspaper why he is firmly convinced by the project and why cash will not be abolished.

Paying with cash or a debit card is the cheapest payment method for consumers in Germany. Cash incurs the lowest costs per payment transaction, while debit cards are cheapest in relation to the amount of money spent. Paying with a credit card is in any case considerably more expensive. These are the conclusions drawn by a study entitled “Costs of cash and card payments from a consumer perspective”, which was carried out on behalf of the Deutsche Bundesbank.