Germany

Ergo's Chief Underwriting Officer discusses global insurance strategy, market expansion in Europe and Asia, and the evolving risk paradigm, including cyber and climate risks.

With the takeover of drive technologies specialist Vitesco, automotive supplier Schaeffler took the right strategic step, but it will take time to pay off. Instead of the hoped-for synergies through growth, the group is cutting thousands of jobs.

The Joint Economic Forecast Spring 2025 gives the CDU/CSU and SPD coalition little hope of an economic tailwind as it starts governing. The economists expect growth of only 0.1% for the current year.

Oberbank of Austria wants to expand its presence in the German market, notably in North Rhine-Westphalia. Private banking is one area being targeted.

Lanxess CEO Matthias Zachert views a reduction in bureaucracy and a pragmatic energy policy as two crucial issues for the new German government. He would like to see the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive scrapped – without a replacement.

On March 10, 2000, the dotcom bubble began to burst, and there was a massive collapse that lasted for years. Investors are examining the current tech driven bull market to see what the historic parallels are.

The demand for climate protection technologies is huge and the long-term return prospects in this area are promising. Nevertheless, there is a large debt financing gap. From the perspective of the ‘Tech for Net Zero’ initiative, new financial instruments are needed.

The Neuenhauser Group is currently holding back on new investment. However, the family-owned mechanical engineering and metal processing company remains committed to the German business location, and hopes to see positive action from the next government.

Entrepreneur and consultant Harald Christ wants the next coalition government in Berlin to think creatively about new approaches to Germany's economic future. A large part of the huge investments needed should come from private capital – but nonetheless he supports reform of the debt brake.

No other German city has so many start-ups founded per capita as Heidelberg. The oldest university in Germany is closely involved, with initiatives such as the transfer agency hei_INNOVATION.

The brand with the three stripes is once again doing well on the sporting goods market. Adidas has achieved double-digit sales growth. Nike and Puma are lagging behind.

Europe is now in the crosshairs of US trade policy. At the start of the war of nerves, President Donald Trump is expressing opinions that must worry the German auto industry.

MTU Aero Engines is a prime example of Germany's continued strength in key technologies. This year the company will be celebrating 20 years on the stock market.

The SAP business model is more weatherproof than many others, as it chases more revenue from the cloud. But the Dax index weighting cap remains a problem.

The various election campaign programmes contain many ideas on how the energy transition can be tackled more efficiently. Unfortunately, there is a scarcity of ideas on how to finance the much needed reforms.

BNP Paribas Real Estate expects rental prices for top quality Frankfurt office space to rise in 2025. But new development projects remain constrained by restrictive bank lending.

After many years of stagnation, German industry hopes for more competitive tax conditions to be put in place by the next government. The various parties have now set out their tax reform plans.

Essen based National-Bank views its regional positioning as an increasing competitive advantage, CEO Thomas Lange tells Börsen-Zeitung. Some Commerzbank high net worth and SME clients are potential new customers against the background of the Unicredit takeover battle.

The number of German citizens that invest in stocks is far too low. The next coalition government must take decisive action, especially to support the role of the stock markets in retirement provision.

Goldman Sachs' chief economist Jan Hatzius is upbeat about the growth prospects of the US economy. However, he expects increasing government deficits to weigh on the Treasury market.

The federal government plans to tap the money and capital markets less in 2025 than in the current year. 380 billion euros is expected to be raised through auctions. A new ten-year green federal bond will be issued.

Germany is unprepared for the challenges of the return of US President Trump. The traffic light coalition is falling apart, and the opposition is initially engaged in scoring points, rather than finding solutions to Germany's problems.

The markets are confident that Unicredit will successfully acquire Commerzbank. The move would bring almost nothing but benefits for the Italians. But the German side should make some clear demands.

The Munich-based start-up Proxima Fusion wants to realise mankind's dream of a clean and virtually inexhaustible source of energy through nuclear fusion. CEO and co-founder Francesco Sciortino sees the technology as an opportunity for Germany. However, there needs to be less polarisation on energy issues in this country.