Other foreign investment in German firms and households
Other foreign investment in German firms and households stood at 17,539.63 EUR million in Aug 2026, according to Deutsche Bundesbank. It is one of the indicators in the Balance of payments: financial and capital account table (Value · Monthly), with a complete series running from Jan 1971 to Aug 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Balance of payments: financial and capital account table
| Indicator | 08-2026 | 07-2026 | 06-2026 | 05-2026 | 04-2026 | 03-2026 | 02-2026 | 01-2026 | 12-2025 | 11-2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic sector: Enterprises and households | 21,454.36 | 1,498.94 | 30,933.34 | 40,787.2 | 13,647.6 | 25,047.3 | 31,287.12 | 15,988.43 | -36,009.59 | -8,852.22 | |
| Other investment, Domestic sector: Enterprises and households1 | 17,539.63 | -12,520.1 | 22,683.76 | 22,748.38 | 1,254.23 | -707.97 | 22,634.71 | 12,457.91 | -8,634.14 | -13,223.92 | |
| Other investment, Loans, Domestic sector: Enterprises and households | 20,389.17 | -12,970.4 | 19,261.73 | 19,857.89 | 2,805.18 | -4,825.03 | 15,322.99 | 15,043.51 | -6,010.34 | -17,180.16 |
Understanding other foreign investment in German firms and households
Non-marketable financial interactions between overseas entities and the domestic real economy are swept into this residual but important classification. It systematically captures everything that falls outside the boundaries of strategic corporate control and tradable securities. The scope includes cross-border commercial loans, trade credit arrangements for imported goods, and unsecuritized deposit accounts held by non-financial corporations abroad. By isolating these bespoke, contract-driven liabilities, the metric provides insight into the everyday operational financing and bilateral credit reliance of domestic manufacturing, services, and retail households.
Interpreting these unsecuritized financial flows requires an appreciation for the mechanics of international corporate trade and bilateral lending. The data often exhibits mild cyclicality tied to broader economic expansion, as surging import volumes naturally drive up the use of cross-border trade credits. However, comparing sequential months can be erratic due to the irregular drawdown schedules of large syndicated corporate loans. Year-on-year reviews generally offer a more stable reflection of the private sector's external borrowing appetite. The series is relatively prone to revision, primarily because tracking decentralized trade credits across thousands of independent non-financial corporations involves continuous survey adjustments long after the initial statistical release.
Frequently asked questions
- Are corporate bonds issued by domestic manufacturers included in this total?
- No, any debt instrument that can be traded on a secondary market is explicitly excluded and moved to the portfolio category.
- How do supplier delays affect this specific measurement?
- When domestic firms delay payment to foreign suppliers for delivered goods, the resulting trade credit generates an inward flow of external financing.
- Do retail mortgages from foreign banks appear in these figures?
- Yes, unsecuritized cross-border lending directly to domestic private individuals is captured within the household portion of this broad category.