Abstract: A wire comprising a wire core with a surface, the wire core having a coating layer superimposed on its surface, wherein the wire core itself is a silver-based wire core, wherein the coating layer is a double-layer comprised of a 1 to 100 nm thick inner layer of nickel or palladium and an adjacent 1 to 250 nm thick outer layer of gold, characterized in that the wire exhibits a total carbon content of ?40 wt.-ppm.