50 Key Finance Terms: English to German Business Vocabulary

Finance is a cornerstone of global business, and understanding its specific terminology is crucial for clear communication, especially when working with international partners. If your business involves German-speaking markets (Germany , Austria , Switzerland ), knowing the German equivalents of key English finance terms can significantly enhance collaboration and prevent misunderstandings.

This list provides 50 essential Business English finance terms, their German translations, and an example sentence to illustrate usage. Use this as a starting point, and remember that the BizVoc app offers specialized decks and spaced repetition to help you master these terms efficiently.

Essential Finance Vocabulary (English - German)

• Assets DE: Vermögenswerte / Aktiva The company's balance sheet shows significant growth in total assets this year.
• Liabilities DE: Verbindlichkeiten / Passiva We need to carefully manage our short-term liabilities to maintain healthy cash flow.
• Equity DE: Eigenkapital Shareholder equity increased after the successful share issuance.
• Revenue DE: Umsatz / Erträge Our quarterly revenue surpassed expectations due to strong sales performance.
• Expenses DE: Ausgaben / Aufwendungen Operating expenses were higher than projected because of rising energy costs.
• Profit Margin DE: Gewinnmarge Improving efficiency helped us increase our net profit margin by 2%.
• Cash Flow DE: Cashflow / Zahlungsstrom Positive cash flow is essential for funding future investments and operations.
• Budget DE: Budget / Haushalt(splan) The marketing department submitted its budget proposal for the next fiscal year.
• Forecast DE: Prognose / Vorausschau Our sales forecast indicates strong growth in the second half of the year.
• Audit DE: Prüfung / Revision / Audit The external auditors will conduct the annual financial audit next month.
• Depreciation DE: Abschreibung (auf Sachanlagen) The depreciation of machinery is calculated using the straight-line method.
• Amortization DE: Abschreibung (auf immaterielle Vermögenswerte) / Amortisation The amortization of goodwill is spread over ten years.
• Return on Investment (ROI) DE: Kapitalrendite / ROI We need to calculate the expected ROI before committing to the project.
• Key Performance Indicator (KPI) DE: Leistungskennzahl / KPI Customer acquisition cost is a critical KPI for our marketing team.
• Profit and Loss Statement (P&L) DE: Gewinn- und Verlustrechnung (GuV) The P&L statement shows whether the company made a profit or loss over the period.
• Balance Sheet DE: Bilanz The balance sheet provides a snapshot of the company's assets, liabilities, and equity at a specific point in time.
• Income Statement DE: Erfolgsrechnung / Einkommensnachweis (oft = GuV) The income statement details the company's revenues and expenses over a period.
• Shareholder DE: Aktionär / Gesellschafter The annual general meeting allows shareholders to vote on key company matters.
• Stakeholder DE: Stakeholder / Interessengruppe Effective communication with all stakeholders, including employees and customers, is vital.
• Dividend DE: Dividende The board approved a dividend payment of €0.50 per share.
• Initial Public Offering (IPO) DE: Börsengang / IPO The tech startup is preparing for its IPO next year.
• Merger DE: Fusion / Zusammenschluss The merger of the two banks created the largest financial institution in the region.
• Acquisition DE: Übernahme / Akquisition Our competitor announced the acquisition of a smaller software firm.
• Liquidity DE: Liquidität Maintaining sufficient liquidity is crucial for meeting short-term obligations.
• Solvency DE: Solvenz / Zahlungsfähigkeit The company's high debt ratio raised concerns about its long-term solvency.
• Capital Expenditure (CapEx) DE: Investitionsausgaben / CapEx The budget includes significant CapEx for upgrading our manufacturing facilities.
• Operating Expenditure (OpEx) DE: Betriebskosten / OpEx We aim to reduce OpEx by streamlining administrative processes.
• Accounts Payable (AP) DE: Kreditorenbuchhaltung / Verbindlichkeiten aus Lieferungen und Leistungen The AP department is responsible for processing supplier invoices.
• Accounts Receivable (AR) DE: Debitorenbuchhaltung / Forderungen aus Lieferungen und Leistungen Improving AR collection times is a priority for improving cash flow.
• General Ledger DE: Hauptbuch All financial transactions are recorded in the company's general ledger.
• Fiscal Year DE: Geschäftsjahr / Fiskaljahr Our fiscal year ends on December 31st.
• Quarter DE: Quartal We review financial performance at the end of each quarter (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4).
• Inflation DE: Inflation Rising inflation is impacting consumer spending and production costs.
• Interest Rate DE: Zinssatz The central bank decided to raise the benchmark interest rate.
• Loan DE: Darlehen / Kredit The company secured a loan to finance its expansion project.
• Debt DE: Schulden / Fremdkapital Managing the company's debt level is crucial for financial stability.
• Credit DE: Kredit / Guthaben Maintaining a good credit rating is important for accessing financing.
• Collateral DE: Sicherheit / Kreditsicherheit The property was used as collateral for the business loan.
• Venture Capital DE: Risikokapital / Wagniskapital The startup raised $5 million in venture capital funding.
• Due Diligence DE: Due Diligence / Sorgfaltsprüfung Thorough due diligence is required before any major acquisition.
• Financial Statement DE: Finanzbericht / Jahresabschluss Investors carefully analyze a company's financial statements.
• Market Capitalization (Market Cap) DE: Marktkapitalisierung Apple has one of the largest market caps in the world.
• Bear Market DE: Baisse / Bärenmarkt Investors tend to be more cautious during a bear market.
• Bull Market DE: Hausse / Bullenmarkt A prolonged bull market often encourages more investment in stocks.
• Volatility DE: Volatilität / Schwankungsbreite The stock market experienced high volatility last week.
• Portfolio DE: Portfolio / Wertpapierbestand Diversifying your investment portfolio can help manage risk.
• Hedge Fund DE: Hedgefonds Hedge funds often employ complex strategies to generate returns.
• Mutual Fund DE: Investmentfonds Mutual funds pool money from many investors to invest in stocks or bonds.
• Bond DE: Anleihe / Obligation Government bonds are generally considered a relatively safe investment.
• Stock DE: Aktie He invested heavily in technology stocks last year.

Master Finance Terms with BizVoc

This list covers many fundamental terms, but the world of finance is vast. Consistent practice is key to mastering this vocabulary. The BizVoc app offers dedicated finance vocabulary decks, real-world examples, audio pronunciation, and smart learning algorithms to help you build confidence in your Business English communication skills.

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