What’s the largest German family office by AUM?

Our familyofficehub.io research team has identified AQTON SE as the largest family office in Germany. AQTON is the single-family investment vehicle of Stefan Quandt, who is a major shareholder of German carmaker BMW. Quandt’s net worth is estimated at above €20bn; his investment company AQTON manages its industrial holdings (amongst others, also BMW) and has estimated assets under management of above €15bn (latest official documents from 2023 are referring to over €13bn at the end of 2023, which we believe to have substantially increased since then).

The investment focus of AQTON SE

AQTON SE, the single-family office of German entrepreneur Stefan Quandt, pursues a long-term investment strategy across several sectors. The company manages holdings in the automotive industry, digital security and identity protection, photovoltaics and smart grid technologies, credit rating services, and agricultural technology. Core investments include Quandt’s substantial stake in BMW AG, where he remains one of the principal shareholders. In the digital sector, AQTON holds an interest in Entrust, a provider of identity security and transaction protection technologies.

In the energy sector, AQTON has built a diversified portfolio with investments in companies such as Solarwatt, Heliatek, and Kiwigrid, focusing on photovoltaic solutions, organic solar technology, and energy management systems, respectively. The firm is also invested in Scope, a European credit rating agency aiming to enhance capital market transparency. In agricultural technology, AQTON backs Ecorobotix, a company specializing in AI-supported, precision-driven crop treatment technologies designed to promote resource-efficient farming.

Alternative candidates for the German family office ranking by AUM

Our familyofficehub.io team has analyzed multiple major single-family offices in the scope of this article. One alternative candidate would have been the Klaus-Michael Kühne family office, the Kühne Holding. However, the family office is located in Switzerland, and hence is not eligible. Also, Lidl founder Dieter Schwarz is an active investor in Germany. However, most of his wealth is allocated in his company, Schwarz Gruppe, and only smaller investment vehicles like D11Z Ventures could be seen as family offices (although with substantially less AUM than AQTON). The family office of Quandt’s sister, Susanne Klatten, is Germany’s largest private equity family office. The difference in AUM comes from the fact that SKion is not holding BMW shares, and hence has fewer assets under management. Another viable candidate was the Strüngmann family office Athos Service.

Picture Source: Rodan Can, Unsplash+ (28.04.2025)