Germany wants to make shares, start-ups

Germany’s finance and justice ministers presented a plan on Wednesday to make the country’s financial markets more attractive to investors and improve access to capital for start-ups and growth companies.

The plan included provisions to lower the minimum capital requirement for an IPO to 1 million euros ($1.05 million) from 1.25 million now, and to increase the tax-free allowance for employee share ownership to 5,000 euros from 1,440 euros. “Securities are not something for millionaires. Securities are something for millions (of people),” Finance Minister Christian Lindner told a news conference.

“We want to make Germany the leading location for start-ups and growth companies,” Lindner added. “That is why we are improving access to the capital market and making it easier to raise equity capital.” Justice Minister Marco Buschmann said the legal framework for share ownership should also be digitalised.