Through its “Invest in Germany Summit”, the Federal Government brought together around 200 international and national executives and investors, alongside leading German politicians. Following the summit, Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that it had “succeeded very well” in sending a strong welcome message to investors. Investment commitments running into the billions – totalling around 230 billion euros to date – demonstrated that “Germany is a good location for investment and for companies from all over the world”.

Private investment plays a key role in creating new jobs, generating prosperity and adding value in Germany. The main aim of the summit was to create a forum for discussion on investment. The objective is to turn Germany’s excellent conditions into concrete projects.

Sticking to the reform agenda

In his opening address at the European School of Management and Technology, the Federal Chancellor emphasised that the Federal Government would continue to pursue its reform agenda. He said it represented the most ambitious reform and modernisation programme of recent decades. 

Chancellor Merz also highlighted the commitments made by the “Made for Germany” business initiative. A total of 800 billion euros are set to be invested in Germany by 2028. The Federal Chancellor went on to say that, despite growing geopolitical tensions, Germany was seeing accelerated economic growth in 2026.

Excellent investment conditions

Germany offers excellent conditions for investment: the world’s third-largest economy is a stable constitutional state. It is the only G7 country to have been awarded the highest rating by all three leading rating agencies, and it boasts a thriving research sector. The continued improvement of these conditions is a key objective of the Federal Government.

Read the speech by Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz delivered at the pre-event reception for the “Invest in Germany Summit” on 19 October 2026 in Berlin.

Three objectives were the focus of the summit

• Investments in key sectors: Energy, industrial AI and semiconductors, data centres, transport and digital infrastructure, high-tech and space: Germany is undergoing comprehensive modernisation. For investors, this offers opportunities that are more rewarding than they have been for decades – both through new developments (greenfield) and through projects that build on existing infrastructure (brownfield).
• Mobilising private capital: In order to finance innovation in the long term and promote growth, it is essential to mobilise private capital. The Federal Government is creating the right framework conditions for this. For example, the Germany Fund, with around 30 billion euros of public funding, is intended to leverage investments totalling more than 130 billion euros.
• Retaining investors in the long term: The summit marked the launch of a wider “Invest in Germany Initiative” designed to engage with and support investors systematically and on an ongoing basis, focussing on service and dialogue.

The Federal Government is bolstering the development and application of industrial AI through collaboration with international partners. 

Reception for investors and workshops with members of the government

The summit began on Monday evening with a reception at Kraftwerk Berlin, attended by up to 500 invited guests. Among other things, Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz gave a speech and took part in a panel discussion with Jensen Huang, CEO (Chief Executive Officer) and founder of the chip manufacturer Nvidia. Next day at the summit, following the Federal Chancellor’s opening address, a panel discussion took place with business representatives on the topic “Why Germany – Germany’s locational advantages, investment and future potential”.

Following this, Federal Minister of Finance and Vice-Chancellor Lars Klingbeil, Minister for Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche, Minister of Research Dorothee Bär, Minister for Digital Transformation Karsten Wildberger, Minister of Transport Steffen Bilger, Minister for Building Verena Hubertz and the Federal Chancellor’s Investment Commissioner, Martin Blessing, led in-depth workshops on various topics – each in collaboration with co-hosts from the business community. The focus was on topics such as industrial AI, digital transformation and the financing of investments. In parallel, members of the government held numerous bilateral talks with conference participants.

The project, which was set out in the coalition agreement, was implemented under the leadership of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs (BMWE) in close cooperation with the Federal Chancellery, the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) and the Chancellor’s Personal Representative for Investments in Germany, Martin Blessing.