Currency and deposit assets of German reinsurers
Currency and deposit assets of German reinsurers stood at 14,231 EUR million in Q2 2026, according to Deutsche Bundesbank. It is one of the indicators in the Insurance corporation balance sheets table (Value · Quarterly), with a complete series running from Q3 2016 to Q2 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Insurance corporation balance sheets table
| Indicator | Q2-2026 | Q1-2026 | Q4-2025 | Q3-2025 | Q2-2025 | Q1-2025 | Q4-2024 | Q3-2024 | Q2-2024 | Q1-2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total assets and liabilities | 560,354 | 559,300 | 537,679 | 540,837 | 533,775 | 545,628 | 531,003 | 525,114 | 513,042 | 535,235 | |
| Assets | |||||||||||
| Currency and deposits | 14,231 | 14,506 | 13,077 | 14,058 | 14,661 | 14,164 | 13,710 | 13,055 | 13,253 | 14,160 |
Understanding currency and deposit assets of German reinsurers
Liquid cash holdings, transferable bank accounts, and fixed-term monetary deposits held by professional reinsurance entities form the scope of this asset category. It captures liquid balances placed with credit institutions in Germany and abroad, designated for transactional operations and liquidity management. Negotiable debt securities, commercial paper, equity stakes, investment fund shares, and mortgage loans are excluded and reported under separate asset headings. Similarly, claims ceded to secondary carriers through retrocession arrangements appear in distinct technical recoverable lines. While investment portfolios of reinsurers are predominantly deployed in longer-term yield-bearing instruments, deposit holdings represent immediate operational reserves maintained to satisfy liquidity requirements, collateral agreements, and administrative obligations.
Evaluating this liquidity position calls for close attention to treaty settlement calendars and renewal windows. Year-on-year comparisons offer a more reliable perspective than period-to-period tracking because treaty renewals, retrocession premium settlements, and annual dividend distributions follow predictable annual timetables. Short-term shifts between consecutive reporting dates frequently mirror brief cash accumulations ahead of capital market deployments or unexpected liquidity outflows for loss settlements. Early figures may be revised when complete balance sheet data supersede initial regulatory filings. Analysts should avoid conflating these deposits with negotiable certificates of deposit or short-term treasury notes, which are cataloged under debt securities rather than cash balances.
Frequently asked questions
- Does this series include certificates of deposit held with banks?
- Negotiable certificates of deposit are excluded because they are treated as tradable debt securities rather than standard deposits. Only non-negotiable bank deposits and cash accounts are recorded in this row.
- Why do reinsurers maintain cash and deposit assets instead of yield-bearing securities?
- Reinsurers hold deposit balances to cover near-term claim settlements, meet operational margin requirements, and handle day-to-day transaction obligations.
- Are deposits placed with ceding insurance undertakings captured here?
- Such balances are typically recorded under insurance receivables or other specific technical categories rather than standard bank currency and deposits.