Turning Savings into Growth: How Germany Can Unlock Long-Term Capital.

Germany faces a massive investment task: modernising
infrastructure, supporting innovation and securing retirement
outcomes in an ageing society. In this episode of Sound of Finance,
our colleague Dr. Johannes Branahl speaks with Arved Kolle,
Managing Director from AFME, the Association for Financial Markets
in Europe, about how capital markets can help mobilise long-term
funding—often cited as roughly €1.4 trillion by 2030—if the right
incentives, products and reforms are put in place. We discuss the
investment gap, household participation, the startup ecosystem,
demographic pressures, and what policymakers should prioritise
next. Key takeaways • Why closing Germany’s long-term investment
gap requires both public action and private capital at scale. • How
product innovation and better investor access can increase
household participation in capital markets. • What needs to change
to channel capital more efficiently—across sectors and across EU
member states. • Why a stronger startup and scale-up ecosystem
depends on deeper pools of risk capital. • How demographic trends
increase urgency for pension reform—and what that means for capital
market policy. • A practical lens on current proposals (including
the ‘Altersvorsorge Depot’) and the trade-offs policymakers face.