UniCredit Bank Austria Financial Monitor 2025:
Investing in securities has become mainstream – younger generation increasingly turning to securities
- Interest in securities has risen sharply compared to the previous year, reaching a total of 42 per cent (2024: 35 per cent). 37 per cent of bank customers surveyed actually own securities (2024: 28 per cent), with securities savings being particularly popular
- Real asset losses have been avoided in recent years thanks to investments in securities
- Providing for the future is particularly important for women in order to avoid a “pension gap”. Although interest in securities is also growing among women, they are significantly more risk-averse than men
- Saving remains the most popular form of investment at 72 per cent (interest only 53 per cent).
- Respondents will have more available to save in 2025, with the average monthly savings amount rising to £250 per month (2024: £200).
The UniCredit Bank Austria Financial Monitor is a representative survey conducted by Marketagent.com among 605 respondents (bank customers aged between 14 and 69) on the investment behaviour of Austrians. While saving remains the most popular form of investment among Austrians, investment in securities has caught up significantly. This is particularly true among young people. However, interest in securities is significantly higher among men than among women, as women continue to be much more risk-averse. “Our Financial Monitor 2025 shows that securities have arrived in the mainstream”, says Ivan Vlaho, CEO of UniCredit Bank Austria.
Although inflation concerns remain, people are still investing more. The average monthly savings amount also rose to €250 in 2025 (2024: €200). People are saving for emergencies, major purchases or expenses and retirement, but interest in real estate is also returning.
“Private pension provision is an essential cornerstone for securing one's own prosperity in old age”, says Ivan Vlaho. “Investments in securities can therefore represent a win-win strategy: investors have the opportunity to achieve long-term returns despite manageable risks, while at the same time strengthening the economy. Long-term investments in securities can make a significant contribution to providing for the future and preserving the real value of financial assets, which would otherwise be condemned to shrink due to high inflation. Young people in particular have already recognised this and are increasingly using securities savings as an important pillar of their retirement planning.”
Sharp rise of investment in securities
Saving will remain by far the most popular form of investment among Austrians in 2025: 72 per cent use traditional savings (2024: 69 per cent), but only 52 per cent consider it interesting (previous year: 53 per cent). This means that the propensity to save remains stable at a high level. At the same time, however, a remarkable trend is emerging: interest in securities has increased significantly. 42 per cent of respondents cite securities as an attractive form of investment – a sharp increase from 35 per cent in the previous year – and 37 per cent of respondents are also actively invested in securities (2024: 28 per cent).
The trend among younger people is particularly striking: those under 30 are increasingly turning to securities. Already 41 per cent of this age group own securities today. In the previous year, the figure was 34 per cent, and in 2023 it was only 28 per cent, representing significant growth within a few years. Securities savings are particularly popular: three out of four young investors (75 per cent) already use them regularly, and a further 19 per cent say they want to start doing so in the future. This generation is thus placing greater emphasis on long-term investments and diversified pension strategies.
Long-term perspective instead of a “gambling” mentality
The results of the survey show that investment behaviour in Austria is generally developing in the right direction. Securities have long since become widely accepted and are no longer seen primarily as speculative instruments for “gambling” and making short-term profits, but increasingly as a solid form of long-term wealth accumulation. Investors are focusing on a long-term strategy: while motives such as short-term high returns have been steadily declining in importance since 2018, motives such as long-term wealth preservation or retirement provision are steadily increasing. This makes it clear that Austrians increasingly see securities as an indispensable pillar for their own future provision.
Women use securities significantly less than men
However, a closer look reveals differences between gender. While just under half of men (49 per cent) say they use securities specifically for their own future provision, this is significantly less common among women, at only 24 per cent. This discrepancy can also be seen in the younger generation: among those under 30, 53 per cent of men already invest in securities, compared to only 28 per cent of women, although 40 per cent of young women are interested in doing so. This shows that although the potential is there, women are significantly more security-oriented and risk-averse in their choice of products – the top three products among women are savings (71 per cent), life insurance (29 per cent) and building society savings (27 per cent).
Investing in securities brings advantages for savers and the economy
High inflation in recent years has been a challenge for household wealth in Austria. In 2024, Austrian households were again unable to generate any real returns on average from the income and value growth of their financial assets. Over the last ten years, there has even been an annual loss of around 2 per cent per year. The reason for this is and was the high proportion of deposits in accounts and savings deposits, which yielded an average real loss of 2 per cent after capital gains tax in 2024, and an average of 3 per cent per year over the last ten years.
Investing in securities yielded an average real gain of 2.5 per cent after capital gains tax in 2024, and despite high inflation of over 30 per cent, real assets were preserved on average over the last ten years. In the long term, investing in securities has made it possible to preserve the real value of assets despite the inflation shock of recent years and difficult market developments. This is also to be expected in the future. Investing exclusively in savings deposits will not achieve this in the coming years, despite interest rates being higher today than before 2022.
But investing in securities can bring advantages not only for savers, despite certain risks. Especially in uncertain times with major economic challenges, investing in securities is important for the economy as a whole. “Strengthening the capital market is particularly important for the economy in a difficult economic situation. Investments in securities also make a significant contribution to ensuring that savings benefit the economy”, says Vlaho.
Pension provision particularly important for women
The challenge of securing long-term financial security for the future particularly affects women. Not only are they more cautious when it comes to investing in securities, they are also more severely affected by the so-called “pension gap”. The average old-age pension for women is far below that of men. In 2023, the average gross pension was €1,409 for women and €2,374 for men, representing a gender-specific pension gap of 40.7 per cent. Building up a return-oriented pension provision is therefore becoming a crucial lever for women to secure their financial independence in old age.
Interest in sustainable investment remains stable
Sustainability also plays an important role in financial investments, especially for women. While general interest in sustainable investments has remained stable in recent years, there is a clear trend among female securities owners: 76 per cent of women with securities are interested in sustainable investments, compared to only 63 per cent of men. In general, even when investing with a focus on sustainability, expected returns remain the most important motive.
More people can put more aside
Concerns about inflation remain high in 2025: 79 per cent of respondents continue to be very or extremely concerned about inflation (2024: 78 per cent). Nevertheless, more people are able to put money aside this year: 39 per cent say they are saving more than last year (2024: 31 per cent), while 32 per cent are saving less (2024: 36 per cent). The average monthly savings amount has risen by a quarter and currently stands at 250 euros (median). Austrians continue to cite the most important motives for saving as being security for emergencies, the ability to afford something in the future and retirement provision.
Interest in real estate is also returning. In 2025, 30 per cent of respondents cite the purchase of real estate as an interesting form of investment, up from 26 per cent in the previous year. The timing for a real estate purchase is increasingly viewed positively, and financing options are also rated more favourably again. However, the biggest obstacle remains the lack of equity, which is cited as the main reason why a purchase is currently not possible (73 per cent of respondents). Around two-thirds of respondents still want to buy a property to live in themselves.
Advice from artificial intelligence
Only 10 per cent fully agree that they are open to investment advice from artificial intelligence (AI), while 37 per cent are at least open-minded, meaning that a total of 47 per cent have no reservations, but the majority (53 per cent) are not yet convinced by this option. Among the younger generation under the age of 30, the number of those open to AI advice is already 74 per cent.
Enquiries:
UniCredit Bank Austria Media Relations
Matthias Raftl, Tel.: +43 (0) 5 05 05-52809;
Email: matthias.raftl@unicreditgroup.at