The going has gotten tougher in the PE market

Invest­ments by private equity (PE) inves­tors in Germany and Europe decli­ned signi­fi­cantly in the first quar­ter of 2026. The number of PE tran­sac­tions in Germany fell by 19 percent compared to the same period last year. The decline in tran­sac­tion volu­mes reflects inves­tors’ current caution. A chal­len­ging macroe­co­no­mic envi­ron­ment, massive geopo­li­ti­cal uncer­tain­ties, and higher finan­cing costs are noti­ce­ably dampe­ning the willing­ness to invest. — Here are three ques­ti­ons for Falk Müller-Veerse, Mana­ging Direc­tor at STIFEL in Munich.