Deloitte Luxembourg and its German Business Community — a networking initiative for German-speaking market participants in Luxembourg — organised the 25th edition of the “Deutscher Fondstag” on 27 January 2026. The event brought together leading figures from the asset management industry, politics, and academia. For over more than one decade, the Fondstag has established itself as a key platform for dialogue among fund professionals from Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. This edition featured a comprehensive programme addressing the regulatory, legal, and tax developments shaping the fund industry across these regions.

Among the distinguished guests was Jean Asselborn, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg, who participated in a fireside conversation moderated by Frank Lichtenthäler, Partner Deloitte Luxembourg, offering perspectives on current European political dynamics and geopolitical challenges facing the region.

The programme also included the traditional economic outlook presented by Dr. Alexander Börsch, Chief Economist at Deloitte Germany. He outlined macroeconomic expectations for 2026 and explored how long-term structural forces are likely to influence Europe’s economic resilience.

Building on this broader economic perspective, Martin Flisgen, Partner at Deloitte Germany, highlighted key trends in digital asset management and outlined how tokenization can drive efficiency and support value creation in asset management. 

These insights set the stage for a central theme of this year’s discussions: the European Commission’s proposed Savings and Investment Union and its potential role in supporting reforms of European pension systems. In a dedicated panel discussion moderated by Harald Thul, Partner Deloitte Luxembourg, Corinne Lamesch (ALFI), Jochen Wiesbach (Union Investment Privatfonds GmbH), and Prof. Patrick Augustin (McGill University) examined how the fund industry can help strengthen retirement systems across Europe.

Prof. Augustin opened the session by presenting key insights from the ALFI study “Europe’s Productive Capital Gap,” which highlights how divergent pension systems across the continent result in uneven distribution of risk capital, with direct implications for long-term investment in strategic areas such as security and infrastructure.

Reflecting on the event, Harald Thul, Partner and leader of the German Business Community at Deloitte Luxembourg, stated:

“The 25th edition of the “Deutscher Fondstag” demonstrates how essential cross?border dialogue has become for the European fund industry. As regulatory landscapes evolve and pension systems come under increasing pressure, collaboration remains the key to unlocking productive capital and supporting long?term economic growth.”

This edition reaffirmed the Fondstag’s role in convening diverse industry perspectives on the developments shaping the European fund landscape, emphasising the importance of collaboration as the sector looks ahead.