The Deutsche Bundesbank mourns the passing of its former president, Helmut Schlesinger. He was Vice-President of Germany’s central bank from January 1980 to the end of July 1991 and then President until the end of September 1993. Mr Schlesinger passed away on 23 December 2024 at the age of 100. 

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.

In an interview with the news magazine Focus, Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel talks about how inflation will develop over the next few years and what the change in US presidency could mean for Europe. He also explains the advantages of the digital euro for both retailers and customers.

The German economy is not only struggling with persistent economic headwinds, but also with structural problems, said Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel, presenting the Bundesbank’s new Forecast for Germany. The Bundesbank projects a slight decline of 0.2 % in real gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024 and only a slight rise in 2025. The labour market, too, is now responding noticeably to the protracted weakness of the economy. The inflation rate remains elevated in 2025, but is likely to return to 2 % in the years that follow.