In the EU, a total of EUR 12.1 trillion is invested in investment funds by private and institutional investors. With assets of EUR 2,700 billion, Germany is the largest market (according to the ECB). With an annual growth rate of 9.2 percent, Germany is the second fastest growing market after Italy (10.3 percent), followed by the Netherlands, England and France.

In Germany, 50 million private investors in 21 million households invest their money in funds, either directly by acquiring shares in mutual funds for their portfolio or indirectly by paying contributions into life insurance policies or occupational pension schemes. Insurers, pension funds and other pension providers are also professional large-scale investors, who in turn invest a significant portion of the contributions received in funds. The management companies set up these so called Spezialfonds specifically for institutional investors, which also include churches, pension funds and foundations.