Top Investments of the Year 2024 in Berlin | Berlin

With the founding of the House of Finance and Tech (HoFT.Berlin) and organising the first FIBE Festival in the first half of 2024, Berlin strengthened its position as a leading location for financial technology in Europe and as a hotspot for the German FinTech scene.

But from the Spree, it is not only possible to look out over the rest of the country and its European neighbours with a view that is both excellent and full of hope, but also to the whole world.

The internationalisation of the capital region is an important building block for strengthening the local economy – the delegation trips organised by Berlin’s business development agency Berlin Partner to France, South Korea, Japan and the USA, among others, enabled Berlin companies to network with international partners in the best possible way and promote transatlantic exchange in 2024.

If you are staying in the Spree metropolis, it is always worth looking up at the sky, or more precisely into space. In recent years, Berlin has developed into a European hotspot for space technologies, the establishment of which was further promoted in 2024 by a growing network consisting of SMEs and start-ups.

So, the outlook is good: In turbulent times, future-oriented industries are developing very promisingly in the capital region and are already strengthening Berlin as an attractive business location with their appeal.

FinTech capital

The FinTech industry in Berlin is growing steadily. Around a third of all German FinTech start-ups are already based in Berlin. The more than 160 companies specialise in various fields and are generating increasing interest in Berlin as a location for both investors and talented people from all over the world.

The founding of the House of Finance and Tech (HoFT.Berlin) in April 2024 is therefore intended to accelerate innovation and growth in the financial and technology sectors of the capital’s economy in equal measure. The new Centre for Financial Innovation is headed by Dr. Sebastian Schäfer, an expert in entrepreneurship, financial technologies and innovation, and is financed through public funds and the commitment of the private sector.

As a central contact point for stakeholders from the FinTech scene, such as traditional financial institutions, start-ups, scientific and educational institutions, HoFT.Berlin specialises in connecting public and private stakeholders and promoting knowledge transfer and cooperation at national and international level with offers such as a knowledge database, support for innovation projects and a representative network space.

How exciting and forward-looking the symbiosis of technology and finance really is was also made clear at FIBE – Berlin’s first FinTech Festival. The international FinTech community met at Berlin’s City Cube from 24 to 25 April to discuss trends, challenges and opportunities. Designed as both a congress and a trade fair, FIBE offered the participating stakeholders from the dynamic FinTech ecosystem the opportunity to exchange ideas, acquire knowledge and make contacts as part of classic keynotes, limited masterclasses, mini-events, networking sessions and workshops.

The great interest in and successful implementation of the first FIBE underline the relevance and need for a collaborative exchange on technological innovations in the financial world beyond 2024 – FIBE 2025 will once again open its doors to industry insiders, experts and companies on 9 and 10 April.

From Berlin to the world

In order to strengthen Berlin as an attractive business location, the internationalisation of the innovation and startup capital is another important building block. Networking and cooperation with international partners offer a lot of potential for Berlin companies – so delegation trips, trade fair visits and pitch events were also on the agenda of regional economic development in 2024.

In the first half of 2024 alone, Berlin delegations travelled to Las Vegas, New York and San Francisco, Cannes and Tokyo and visited renowned trade fairs in Austin (SXSW), Paris (Viva Tech) and Seoul (NextRise). In November 2024, another trip to the USA followed with a focus on the healthcare industry, more specifically to New York, Boston and Los Angeles.

The aim of the internationalisation measures is, on the one hand, to give Berlin companies access to international markets and to promote the best possible networking with potential partners. In addition to participating in trade fairs and congresses, it is primarily networking and pitch events that bring Berlin company representatives together with potential investors and partners.

On the other hand, strong figures show that networking at an international level increases the awareness and attractiveness of Berlin as a business location, also for companies from abroad. In the first half of 2024, business development agency Berlin Partner recorded 58 new companies in the city on the Spree, 64% of which came from abroad. Most of the 37 new foreign settlements came from the UK (5), Turkey (5), Ukraine (3), the USA (3) and France (3). This is a positive development that must continue to be promoted through internationalisation measures in 2025.

The view into space

However, anyone looking out into the world from Berlin should always keep an eye on space. In recent years, the Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan region has developed into a European hotspot for space technologies and is thus gaining increasing importance in public perception. Around 80 companies in Berlin and Brandenburg have specialised in the field of space travel and deal with space technology, satellites, lunar vehicles and earth observation on a daily basis. The so-called New Space Economy stands for the commercialisation of space and thus for the simultaneous integration with the economy.

In Berlin, research institutions and companies are focusing in particular on the large area of satellite technologies as part of many research and development activities.

The RACCOON project, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Action, is being carried out at the Technische Universität Berlin, among others, and supervised by the business development organisation Berlin Partner through the ICT and Transport, Mobility and Logistics clusters.

The project is concerned with the development of a robust communications system that is suitable for use on micro-satellites and is intended to transmit security keys globally.

In other areas of Berlin’s New Space sector, regional companies are demonstrating an equally visionary spirit of innovation. At the International Space and Aerospace Exhibition 2024 (ILA) in Berlin, the startup Neurospace presented a mini-rover that is controlled from Earth and is intended to work together with other rovers. An idea with which Neurospace attracted attention in a very short time – and is now a partner of NASA.

Back to the satellites: These are also high on Berlin’s New Space Agenda in 2025. The “15th IAA Symposium on Small Satellites for Earth System Observation” will take place in May – a renowned event that enables industry stakeholders to exchange information on current programs and missions and to discuss technological developments relating to small satellites for Earth and the Moon. The view from Berlin into the world, and into space, will therefore remain promising in 2025.