German manufacturing orders unexpectedly jumped in December, a sign that the recent struggles of the country’s industrial sector might be fading as Berlin’s fiscal stimulus ramps up, the Wall Street Journal reported. Orders climbed 7.8% on month, the strongest pickup in two years, accelerating from the 5.7% rise in November, statistics agency Destatis said on Thursday. Factory orders have now climbed for four straight months. Orders were 9.5% higher in the final quarter of last year than in the third, Destatis said.
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Klöckner Pentaplast (kp) has completed its restructuring under the US Chapter 11 process, resulting in the removal of around €1.3bn ($1.5bn) in funded debt from its balance sheet, EuroNews.com reported. The company’s exit from court oversight follows an injection of €349m in new capital as part of its plans to stabilise ongoing operations. Ownership of Klöckner Pentaplast has now shifted to a consortium of financial partners led by funds affiliated with Redwood Capital Management.
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German federal prosecutors descended on Deutsche Bank’s Frankfurt headquarters and Berlin offices Wednesday morning, conducting searches as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering. The raid cast a shadow on what should have been an unblemished moment of triumph as CEO Christian Sewing announced booming annual profits at Germany’s largest lender, Fortune reported. The morning after the raid, Deutsche Bank announced its highest annual profit since 2007: $8.5 billion net profit in 2025, powered by robust investment banking revenues.
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Native Instruments is in preliminary insolvency proceedings, according to documentation reported by Create Digital Music. According to that report, a preliminary insolvency administrator has been appointed, who will take responsibility for restructuring the company and any sale of existing assets. The German music technology brand, known for era-defining products such as Maschine, Massive, Traktor and Kontakt, has been through numerous changes over the past decade.
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German federal police have been searching the offices of Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt and Berlin since early Wednesday morning, with raids ordered by prosecutors in Frankfurt, Euronews.com reported. About 30 investigators reportedly entered the bank’s Frankfurt headquarters in plain clothes, according to Der Spiegel, which first reported the news. Another Deutsche Bank location in Berlin was also searched. Prosecutors say they are investigating unknown managers and employees of Deutsche Bank on suspicion of money laundering.
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German language teaching group Carl Duisberg Centren will cease trading and close all of its centres this week after a period of administration has failed to rescue the company, StudyTravel Magazine reported. Carl Duisberg Centren (CDC) was established in 1962 and operates as a non-profit organisation with six schools across Germany and a portfolio of adult programmes including intensive German, exam preparation and university preparation, as well as summer camps for juniors.
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The German Federal Fiscal Court Jan. 22 posted online Decision No. VI R 5/23, clarifying the rights of insolvency administrators to file assessment applications in tax refund cases for employees, Bloomberg Tax reported. The taxpayer, a debtor in insolvency, had a tax return filed on his behalf by an insolvency administrator who signed it alone. The Tax Office refused to conduct the assessment, contending that the taxpayer’s signature was also needed. Upon the former administrator’s death, a new administrator was appointed and continued the case.

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Germany's net borrowing in 2025 came in well below the level set out in its budget plan, helped by lower-than-expected spending and higher-than-expected revenues, the finance ministry said on Friday, Reuters reported. This was the nation's first annual budget since sweeping reforms to loosen fiscal rules were passed in March last year, securing record investments to revive the economy while committing to an increase in defence spending.
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White label hotel management company Revo Hospitality, formerly known as HR Group, has filed for insolvency and is to be restructured under its own management by the summer, BoutiqueHotelNews.com reported. The company cited “increased wage costs and the sharp rise in minimum wages, but also higher costs for rent, energy and food” as contributing factors to the insolvency. “Above all, the strong expansion of the Revo Hospitality Group in recent years led to duplicate structures and integration problems,” it said. In 2008, Revo (then known as HR Group) took over its first hotel in Leipzig.
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