Publications
& Policy

The Global Risk Landscape survey shows companies are becoming more risk-averse among global trade tensions and policy shifts. 69% of respondents defined themselves as risk-averse compared to 61% last year. BDO's Global Risk Landscape Report in 2024 highlighted the importance of embracing risks and developing an anti-fragile mindset and approach. The retreat from risk in the last 12 months could lead to lower growth in the future.

AI is becoming increasingly common in business practices, generating significant opportunities as well as material risks across sectors and therefore investment portfolios. Railpen's report, in collaboration with Chronos Sustainability, contains actionable recommendations to help investors move from theory to practice on responsible AI.

Despite uncertainty in global markets, AI remains a strategic priority among business executives, investors, and government, fueling sustained investment in AI infrastructure and dealmaking with AI developers and AI-enabled companies. Amid geopolitical tension, nations are vying for pole position as governments funnel subsidies, grants, and incentives to AI innovation hubs like Silicon Valley and Beijing.

The Austrian Investing Report 2024, published by invest.austria, is one of the most in-depth surveys of the domestic private capital market. Published every two years, the study exclusively examines the perspective of private investors, a central pillar of the Austrian startup ecosystem that has often been underrepresented in public perception.

Healthcare services dealmaking showed signs of stabilization in Q2, with steady activity replacing the pessimism that defined the start of the year. Standout transactions and sustained growth capital investments in subsectors such as radiology, home-based care, and mental health highlight investors' selective appetite despite regulatory headwinds. Key themes include heightened state-level scrutiny and fallout from the recently enacted "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," which introduced significant Medicaid cuts and may drive up uninsured rates. While IPO activity remains dormant, exit momentum has been resilient, and overall dealmaking has kept pace with last year’s levels. Meanwhile, creative liquidity strategies such as secondaries and earnouts are reshaping how sponsors are navigating a tough market with constrained exit opportunities.

Private capital – including private equity (PE), venture capital (VC), and infrastructure funds – can play a critical role in strengthening Europe's defence industrial base. Invest Europe welcomes the Commission’s intention to increase funding flexibility, support innovation, and facilitate the scaling of strategic capabilities through the amendments proposed under the mini omnibus for defence. Our members have a long-standing track record of successfully investing in companies active in defence, security, and dual-use technologies – backing innovation, growth, and industrial resilience. They stand ready to continue using their expertise and capacity in the defence sector.

The most comprehensive analysis of the European private equity industry’s growth in assets over the past decade, as well as available capital for future investment. The report demonstrates private equity and venture capital’s increasing scale as it becomes more embedded in Europe’s economy and society, and its capacity to back businesses and industries that represent the future in terms of growth, innovation and sovereignty.

The Swiss Venture Capital Report is the reference publication for investment in Swiss start-ups. In addition to the annual report, we provide an update for the first half year in July plus the results of a survey among 100 Swiss investors which provides an outlook for the coming 12 months.

The report demonstrates the true scale of private capital’s impact on Europe, by examining investment in its entirety, including leverage and co-investment, for the period from 2015 to 2024.

In this response Invest Europe made the case that savings and investments accounts could allow retail investors to commit capital to EU productive companies, provided these accounts allow private equity and venture capital funds as eligible assets. It clarifies what steps must be taken to achieve this objective.

The Argos Index® declined by 3% to 9.2x EBITDA in Q2 2025, driven primarily by a drop in the multiples paid by strategic buyers, which fell to 8.5x EBITDA. The proportion of deals priced below 7x EBITDA rose to over a quarter of the index sample, underlining sustained downward pressure on valuations. As in the previous quarter, this decline in prices reflects a sluggish M&A market in the Euro zone, with deal volume estimated to be down 5% and disclosed value down 14% in Q2.

Global PE investment was somewhat muted in Q2’25 as PE investors held back, waiting for more clarity around US trade policies. But the availability of dry powder among PE firms, the hopeful upswing in exit activity, the strength of resilient sectors like energy, infrastructure — including AI infrastructure — and healthcare, provides some optimism that PE investment will recover in the second half of the year once trade uncertainties settle.

This member guide, developed by the Professional Standards Committee, outlines key focus areas identified by the FCA for investment managers. As these topics are principles-based and broadly applicable across all Invest Europe members, we encourage you to review the guide carefully in the context of your own firm's practices.

The European Venture Capital Fund (EuVECA) Regulation offers a voluntary EU-wide marketing passport to qualifying fund managers, while sparing them the costs associated with authorisation and compliance with the AIFMD, such as the requirement to appoint a depositary.

Taking lessons learned from the 2008 financial crisis, international regulators and policymakers have since concerned themselves with potential sources of risk in the global financial system beyond the banking sector.