Deutsche Bank CEO warns extremist political gains risk investment in Germany

Deutsche Bank CEO Christian Sewing cautioned that recent electoral victories by extremist political parties in Germany could deter foreign investment and hinder economic expansion. In an interview with the Bild newspaper, Sewing expressed deep concern over the substantial gains made by both the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the far-left Left Party in regional elections.

He emphasized that foreigners cannot easily differentiate between a state government and Germany as a whole, which is why foreign investors view these developments through a national lens. This perception, Sewing argued, is entirely understandable. Specifically, in Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD, considered extremist by regional security services, came close to achieving an absolute parliamentary majority, while in Berlin, the Left Party secured a significant victory on a platform focused on addressing high housing costs by expropriating properties from large corporate landlords.

Sewing concluded that both scenarios are detrimental to economic growth and investment-friendly environments, stating that the government's only response to these far-right and far-left extremists is to address these challenges.