Schnabel was responding to a question in a German public radio interview about how long savers would have to wait for an end to the bank's zero rates policy.
"I can't say when a rate increase will come, but what I can say is that a hike in the current environment would have a devastating impact and nobody should want that," she said.
Schnabel said one-off effects including the end of Germany's VAT cut and a base effect from energy costs were likely to cause a rise in inflation later this year. But that should not be confused with a sustained rise in inflation, she added, not least because of the difficulties of measuring inflation during lockdowns, when purchasing habits were so different.
(Reporting by Thomas Escritt; Editing by Catherine Evans)
