Americas

Are you a German company that wants to expand globally, transform your foreign business activities or is looking for interesting investment objects? Or are you an international investor looking to expand your business opportunities in the German or European market? No matter where you come from, what your ambitions are or what language you speak, KPMG International Business offers you the support that is right for you.

We cluster our cross-border business into the four market regions Africa/Middle East, Americas, Asia/Oceania and Europe, each with their own specific challenges and market conditions. In addition, we are represented in numerous countries by German-speaking experts on site to offer you the best possible local advice. Feel free to contact your KPMG country expert and we will take care of your concerns.

The United States of America is the largest and most important export market for German companies. If there are disruptions in bilateral trade between the two nations, the effects are clearly felt here in Germany. This was demonstrated, for example, by the initial failure of negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the European Union and the USA, which has been on hold since 2017 and has not entered into force. In the meantime, these tensions have been somewhat defused again and bilateral investment flows are gaining momentum. 

The USA is the leading source of non-European foreign investment in Germany. For example, US direct investment in Germany totaled 148 billion US dollars in 2019, up 8% from 2018. On the other hand, the stock of direct investment from Germany in the U.S. amounted to $373 billion, an increase of 14% compared to 2018. Moreover, almost 30% of all German direct investment went to the US, making it the most popular investment destination for German companies. In turn, about 10% of foreign direct investment from the US goes to Germany. 

However, the USA is not synonymous with the Americas. South America also offers a wide range of economic opportunities, even though this region is a terrain fraught with risks for German companies. Venezuela is just one example of how political crises can have a massive impact on the economic well-being of countries and thwart investment efforts. On the other hand, South America also offers promising markets: Brazil is considered Germany's largest trading partner in the southern hemisphere and offers investment opportunities for a large number of German companies. The German Desk in Brazil supports German enterprises in Brazil and Brazilian companies that want to invest in Germany with the help of KPMG’s bilingual experts and customized services.

Even with geopolitical issues, bilateral partnerships and foreign investments can create new opportunities. We can assist you with a wide range of challenges from managing climate risks and protecting against cybercrime to general risk mitigation and innovation development.

Our survey of German companies in the US, the German-American Business Outlook 2022, provides more information on bilateral economic relations, future expectations and trends of companies in this economic region. For example, nearly 8 out of 10 companies plan to make growing investments in the U.S. in 2022. At the same time, two-thirds (67 percent) of the companies surveyed plan to increase their staff in the U.S. during the same period.