Capital (German magazine)

Capital was founded in 1962 by Adolf Theobald. Two-thirds of its shares were later acquired by John Jahr Sr. and contributed to the founding of Gruner + Jahr in 1965. Gruner + Jahr became the sole owner in 1968.

Originally headquartered in Cologne, the editorial office moved to Hamburg in 2009 when Capital, Financial Times Deutschland, Impulse, and Börse Online were merged into a joint editorial team. After the closure of Financial Times Deutschland in 2012, Capital relocated to Berlin and relaunched both its magazine and website in 2013.

On 1 March 2021, the political and business editorial teams of Stern, Capital and Business Punk were merged into a joint Berlin bureau. The combined team, comprising around 35 journalists, produces shared coverage for all three titles. In February 2023, Timo Pache became editor-in-chief, succeeding Horst von Buttlar, who moved to Stern.

Capital presents business and finance topics from social, cultural, and economic perspectives. The magazine is structured around three main sections: World of Business, Invest, and Life, covering macroeconomic issues, wealth management, and lifestyle content respectively. It is regarded as one of Germany's most widely read business magazines.

In addition to print, the brand supports a robust digital presence, operating a mobile app, newsletters, and a digital subscription platform where readers access extended analyses, proprietary rankings, and financial data tools.

Since 1970, Capital has published the annual Kunstkompass, a ranking of contemporary artists based on their exhibition presence and media visibility. Other long-running rankings include the Top 40 under 40 ("Junge Elite"), a list of young leaders in business, politics, and science launched in 2007, and the Capital Elite Panel, a long-term leadership survey conducted with the Institut für Demoskopie Allensbach.

Capital hosts several high-profile business events:

• Junge-Elite Summit, an annual Berlin gathering of the "Top 40 under 40" network with partners such as Google, Microsoft, or Vodafone.
• Vermögensaufbau-Gipfel, a conference for investors and financial advisers in Frankfurt am Main focusing on asset strategies, market outlooks, and sustainable investment.

Capital also publishes special issues under the Capital Extra label, and operates the weekly financial newsletter Capital Depesche, available in print and digital form since the 1970s.

In 2019, Capital and Online Marketing Rockstars (OMR) launched Finance Forward, a digital magazine and podcast focused on fintech and modern finance. Other podcast formats include Meine erste Million with journalist Ronja von Rönne and Die Stunde Null hosted by former editor-in-chief Horst von Buttlar.

Capital has experienced a gradual decline in print circulation, similar to other German business publications. According to IVW, the magazine sold around 116,000 copies in 2024.