Germany needs a new private-pension strategy. The statutory pension already sits 14 % below the EU average, and the Bundesbank projects a funding gap of several hundred billion euros by 2040. Traditional Riester plans never filled that void - high fees, rigid guarantees, limited access and poor transparency eroded trust.
Today we release a position paper - co-signed by leading digital banks, brokers and asset managers such as BlackRock, Vanguard, Amundi, N26, Raisin and our partner Upvest - calling for action. Millions of new securities accounts prove consumers want to build wealth on their own terms; reform can’t wait. The paper focuses on five levers:
Launching the Altersvorsorgedepot and merging it with the Frühstart-Rente into a single, scalable pension solution.
Eliminating mandatory guarantees to place capital-market returns at the center.
Offering flexible payout options, including early or partial withdrawals.
Permitting extra contributions to the Frühstart-Rente to maximize the power of compounding.
Extending eligibility to every taxpayer in Germany.
Our AI-native platform lets banks, insurers, distributors and even non-financial brands launch children depots („Frühstart-Rente“) and flexible pensions weeks - not months. End-to-end digital journeys, 24/7 AI advisors, seamless hand-off to human advisors, and a BaFin-regulated asset-management infrastructure for white-label pensions and investments - ready out of the box.
We urge policymakers to act now, so high-return, truly accessible retirement solutions become a reality for everyone.
Download paper
