The war in Ukraine continues, the US has attacked Venezuela, and Greenland is under threat: there are many trouble spots around the world. At the same time, the economic situation in Germany and Europe is anything but rosy. But there are glimmers of hope. Sonja Marten of DZ Bank is convinced that the picture is not as bleak as one might suppose.

Sonja Marten has been Chief Economist at DZ BANK since 1 January 2026 and is therefore responsible for macroeconomic and capital market forecasts at the central institution of the Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken Cooperative Financial Group. Prior to this, the qualified economist headed the Foreign Exchange and Monetary Policy Group at DZ BANK Research for five years.

Sabine Paulus is Editorial Treasury Manager for the Equity & Debt and Risk Management departments at VDT e.V.