German supervisory reporting: Bundesbank ExtraNet, PRISMA and the return catalogue
German supervisory reporting runs through the Deutsche Bundesbank — not directly to BaFin. Prudential returns, statistical reporting and large-exposure notifications all flow through the Bundesbank’s ExtraNet infrastructure, with the newer PRISMA portal handling banking-supervisory returns and the BAM portal handling master data. BaFin consumes the data; the Bundesbank collects and quality-checks it. This piece maps the German reporting stack for a newly authorised institution — which returns, which portals, and where the data-quality bar sits.
1. The BaFin / Bundesbank split
Germany’s two-institution supervision divides cleanly on reporting:
- BaFin — the supervisory decision-maker: authorisations, orders, sanctions, interpretation
- Deutsche Bundesbank — the operational supervisor for data: collects returns, runs validation and plausibility checks, conducts much of the ongoing prudential monitoring, and forwards to BaFin and (for significant institutions) the ECB
The practical consequence: your reporting relationship is with the Bundesbank. Question letters about data quality come from the Bundesbank’s regional offices; BaFin appears when the finding becomes supervisory.
2. ExtraNet — the submission backbone
ExtraNet is the Bundesbank’s electronic submission platform for regulated returns. Registration is mandatory before the first filing; named users are credentialed per institution; submissions are file-based uploads in the prescribed formats, with entry portals available for several return types. The platform covers prudential returns, statistical reporting and the external-sector (balance-of-payments) reporting alike (source: Bundesbank — ExtraNet).
3. PRISMA and BAM
- PRISMA — the Bundesbank’s portal for banking supervisory reports, modernising the processing of prudential returns (COREP, FINREP and the national set)
- BAM — the portal for banking-supervisory master data: institution data, officers, structural information
Both sit behind ExtraNet credentials. A new institution onboards ExtraNet first, then subscribes to the portals its category requires (source: Bundesbank — reporting systems).
4. The return catalogue for a German PSP
| Return family | What it is | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| COREP / FINREP | EBA-coordinated prudential and financial reporting | Credit institutions in full; proportionate sets for other categories |
| Finanzinformationenverordnung (FinaV) returns | National financial-information reporting | Per category, alongside the EBA set |
| Large exposures / Millionenkredite | Notification of loans of €1.5 million or more to the credit register | Lending institutions |
| AnaCredit | Loan-by-loan ECB credit register — Germany runs one of the strictest data-quality regimes | Credit institutions; see the NCB comparison |
| Statistical reporting (BSI / MIR family) | ECB monetary and interest-rate statistics | MFI-sector institutions incl. e-money institutions in reduced form |
| External sector (AWV) reporting | Balance-of-payments reporting on cross-border payments and positions | Broad — residents above thresholds, incl. PSPs |
| IPR statistical report | Annual instant-payments statistics | All PSPs offering credit transfers |
5. The AWV external-sector reporting — Germany’s balance-of-payments layer
Germany’s cross-border reporting under the foreign-trade framework (AWV) is the counterpart of Spain’s DTE: residents report cross-border payments and positions above thresholds to the Bundesbank for balance-of-payments statistics. PSPs meet it twice — for their own corporate flows, and operationally because German customers reference the regime in payment descriptions. The submissions run through the Bundesbank’s electronic external-sector channels.
6. The data-quality bar
7. Onboarding sequence for a new institution
- Register the institution and named users on ExtraNet (start at authorisation, not after)
- Subscribe to the return families your category requires; confirm the calendar per return
- Onboard PRISMA/BAM as applicable; load master data in BAM
- Implement the file formats per return; run internal validation mirroring the published checks
- Dry-run where test facilities exist; first live submissions on the calendar dates
8. FAQ
Do I report to BaFin or the Bundesbank?
Operationally to the Bundesbank — ExtraNet is the channel and the Bundesbank runs collection and validation. BaFin consumes the results and acts on supervisory matters.
What is ExtraNet?
The Bundesbank’s electronic platform for submitting regulated returns — prudential, statistical and external-sector. Registration precedes the first filing (source: bundesbank.de).
What are PRISMA and BAM?
Bundesbank portals behind ExtraNet: PRISMA for banking-supervisory returns, BAM for supervisory master data.
Is there a German equivalent of Spain’s DTE?
Yes in function — the external-sector (AWV) reporting to the Bundesbank covers cross-border payments and positions for balance-of-payments statistics.
How does this compare with the other core jurisdictions?
Same EBA/ECB frameworks, different national plumbing: Spain routes via EDITRAN, France via OneGate/SURFI, the Netherlands via DLR, Italy via the Segnalazioni infrastructure. Germany’s distinguishing trait is the two-institution split and the data-quality follow-up intensity.
9. What to do, today
- Register ExtraNet users at authorisation; credentials gate everything.
- Confirm your return catalogue and calendar per category with the Bundesbank early.
- Mirror the published validation checks internally before every submission.
- Treat AWV external-sector reporting as part of the launch checklist, not an afterthought.
Related: EMI licence in Germany · AnaCredit across NCBs · §43 GwG — SARs in Germany
