Since August, bank customers who want to deposit more than 10,000 euros in cash at the bank have had to provide proof of origin for the money.

This is supposed to deter people who are after money laundering.

It is quite possible that the introduction of the regulation alone makes Germany a little less attractive as a money laundering country.

In practice, however, the matter is not that simple, as the dispute over the permissible age of the possible evidence for the origin of the money shows.

If the banks are too strict, it becomes annoying if, for example, people who withdrew cash at the beginning of the crisis want to deposit the money back into their account, but only have older receipts.

However, if the banks are too relaxed about the age of the receipts, every money launderer will surely find evidence somewhere that they have already withdrawn money.

In extreme cases, a trade in receipts for the origin of cash could develop on the Internet.

Nobody can want that.

But if the banks put the formal check of the documents in the background and focus more on a general plausibility check on the customer, things won't necessarily get any easier.

No bank employee will probably like to tell a customer that we will not accept your cash deposit because your job or your deposit behavior suggests a proximity to the mafia or terrorist networks.

It's easier to say: Unfortunately, your receipts are too old.