The October 2026 edition of the Monthly Report explores approaches to further developing European banking regulation, with a focus on simplifying requirements. Another article takes a disaggregated look at the recent rise in German inflation compared with the period of high inflation in 2022, while another examines Member States’ financial relationships with the EU in 2025. The Monthly Report also looks into the finances of German state and local governments in 2025 and finds, among other things, that local government deficits have risen further.