Germany reserve currency & deposits at central banks & BIS
Germany reserve currency & deposits at central banks & BIS stood at 933 EUR million in Sep 2026, according to Deutsche Bundesbank. It is one of the indicators in the Bundesbank external position and reserves table (Value · Monthly), with a complete series running from Dec 1998 to Sep 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Bundesbank external position and reserves table
| Indicator | 09-2026 | 08-2026 | 07-2026 | 06-2026 | 05-2026 | 04-2026 | 03-2026 | 02-2026 | 01-2026 | 12-2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (mthly.), Other reserve assets (currency, deposits, securities, financial derivatives and other claims), Positions | 34,162 | 33,403 | 34,118 | 33,128 | 32,988 | 32,215 | 33,223 | 32,170 | 31,867 | 31,851 | |
| (mthly.), Currency and deposits, Positions | 1,098 | 1,208 | 1,949 | 1,188 | 2,642 | 2,839 | 1,615 | 4,000 | 4,237 | 2,721 | |
| (mthly.), Currency and deposits, with monetary authorities and BIS, Positions | 933 | 1,206 | 858 | 966 | 2,216 | 701 | 1,613 | 1,076 | 891 | 2,379 |
Understanding germany reserve currency & deposits at central banks & BIS
This highly specific cross-section tracks foreign currency cash and bank balances parked exclusively at peer central banks and the Bank for International Settlements. By filtering out accounts held at commercial financial institutions, it isolates funds sheltered entirely from private-sector credit risk. The measure acts as an indicator of the most secure, deeply institutionalized liquidity buffers within the broader foreign exchange deposit portfolio. It represents the most conservative cash-management strategy available, sacrificing commercial yields to ensure absolute capital preservation within a trusted network of supranational and sovereign monetary counterparts.
Reading sequential monthly changes in this series offers immediate clues about risk aversion in official reserve management. When systemic banking stress arises globally, managers often sweep balances from commercial entities into these sovereign accounts. Month-on-month analysis perfectly captures these rapid tactical movements, while early estimates rarely face significant revisions due to the direct, bilateral nature of the underlying accounting framework. Seasonality plays zero role in these allocations, and year-on-year metrics obscure the sudden, crisis-driven cash relocations that make this particular row so analytically valuable to external observers.
Frequently asked questions
- Why separate these accounts from commercial bank deposits?
- Isolating them highlights funds held in virtually risk-free public environments away from private market exposure.
- Does this grouping include special drawing rights?
- Special drawing rights are accounted for separately; this captures standard foreign fiat currencies held at public institutions.
- Are these balances locked up for long periods?
- These funds consist of on-demand or very short-term deposits to ensure instant availability for policy operations.