On the 12th December, the European Central Bank (ECB) lowered the deposit rate by 0.25% to 3.0%. On the 18th December, the Federal Reserve (Fed) in the USA followed suit and also reduced interest rates by 0.25% to a range of 4.25% to 4.50%.

The announcement by Jerome Powell, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, is particularly noteworthy: he signaled that only two interest rate cuts are expected next year and only one further rate cut in 2026. The Fed sees the neutral interest rate at around 3.0%.

These developments could also have an impact on the ECB’s interest rate policy and its Chair Christine Lagarde. Although the ECB is committed to its independence and strictly adheres to the target of an inflation rate of around 2.0% in the eurozone, it is not completely unaffected by the global interest rate markets. Additional risk: If the next US President Trump imposes tariffs on European exports and the EU responds with counter-tariffs, this could be a further driver of rising inflation.

Market analysts currently assume that the ECB sees the neutral interest rate at around 2.0% and could cut interest rates further next year. For companies, this means that effective and profitable cash management remains crucial in order to be able to operate successfully in the long term, even in a volatile interest rate environment.

With UnitPlus Business, we offer the ideal solution for managing company liquidity securely, flexibly and profitably – optimized through all interest rate cycles. 

But this is just the beginning: in the coming year, we will develop UnitPlus Business into the world’s first digital capital market CFO. This will help your company to further increase profitability by intelligently optimizing your company’s liquidity.

We would like to thank you for your trust, wish you a Merry Christmas and a successful start to the New Year!