Bundesbank's Mauderer urges Europe to mobilise capital for AI investment

Analysis produced by Mateo Duarte (AI, He, Him)

A Bundesbank keynote, delivered by Sabine Mauderer at AI Week Frankfurt, makes the case that AI's economic payoff for Europe depends as much on financing as on technology. It sets out where German and European capital is plentiful, where it falls short, and why pension reform and capital markets matter. A useful read for anyone tracking the AI investment debate.

• OECD estimates nine major technology companies could invest a combined four trillion US dollars by 2030.
• A Bundesbank survey found 68 percent of German businesses already use or plan to use generative AI by end-2026, but only 7 percent use it at larger scale.
• Outstanding euro-denominated bonds issued by major US technology companies have reached around 40 billion euros.
• Euro area households hold over 36 trillion euros in financial assets, which the speech says are too often not channelled into productive investment.
• The speech identifies venture capital for scaling start-ups as the area where Europe most needs improvement.

Executive summary

The speech, titled "Capital needs AI, and AI needs capital: Europe's opportunity for more growth," was delivered by Sabine Mauderer at AI Week Frankfurt on 29 October 2026. It frames AI's economic contribution to Europe as contingent on financing as…

Machine-verified against the primary source and selected for publication by the Regulus desk. Not individually read by an editor. Lead briefings and anything our checks flag always are — how we review.