Handelsblatt Research Institute

Name

Handelsblatt Research Institute

Legal name

Handelsblatt Research Institute

Website

https://research.handelsblatt.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic and Market Research Services

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic & Macroeconomic Research (BPAHALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE), Sector-Specific Industry Research (FSACAGAL), Strategy & Thematic Research (FSACAGAG), Syndicated Market Research (Panels, Omnibus, Tracker Studies) (MPAAALAB), Policy, Regulatory & Public Affairs Research (BPAHALAF)

Keywords

• Economic research services
• Custom market studies
• Industry analysis reports
• Macroeconomic forecasting
• Consumer sentiment research

Headquarters

HQ city

Düsseldorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Custom commissioned research and studies: HRI generates revenue by producing tailor-made studies, factbooks, desk research, playbooks, and risk monitoring reports commissioned by corporate and institutional clients. Projects are scoped and priced individually, aligning with client-specific information needs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Handelsblatt Research Institute is an independent economic research institute that produces custom-commissioned studies, factbooks, desk research, playbooks, and risk monitoring services for corporate and institutional clients. It also publishes recurring proprietary research series covering macroeconomic forecasts, consumer sentiment, inclusion, digital sovereignty, sustainability, banking, and other topics, often in cooperation with partners such as Roland Berger, Bain & Company, Generali, Atruvia, adesso, and HDE.

Product overview

The Handelsblatt Research Institute (HRI) is an independent economic research institute operating under the Handelsblatt Media Group since 2013. It offers a portfolio of research services centered around custom studies and reports, alongside a series of proprietary research publications. The core services include Studien & Reports (custom studies), Factbooks, Desk Research, Playbooks, and Risk Monitoring. The institute also produces recurring research publications including the HRI-Konjunkturprognose (economic forecast), HDE-Konsumbarometer (consumer sentiment index with retail association), and themed report series covering healthcare (Health Reports), women in leadership (Female Allstar Board with Bain & Company), sustainability awards (Global Transition Award, Sustainable Impact Report), and digital transformation (Enterprise AI reports, Digital Sovereignty Index with adesso). Major collaborative publications include the annual State of the Nation with Roland Berger. The institute positions itself as combining economic expertise with journalistic topic understanding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Studien & Reports
• Factbooks
• Desk Research
• Playbooks
• Risk Monitoring
• HRI-Konjunkturprognose
• HDE-Konsumbarometer
• Inklusionsbarometer
• State of the Nation
• Health Reports (Series)
• Female Allstar Board (FAB)
• Global Transition Award (GTA)
• Sustainable Impact Report
• KI Trendreport: Enterprise AI
• Index Digitale Souveränität
• Masterplan
• The Mission
• Jahresausblick

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bain & CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHRI collaborates with Bain & Company on the annual Female Allstar Board (FAB) initiative, which recognizes outstanding female executives in Germany. The partnership produces joint reports analyzing women in leadership positions, career pathways, and diversity in corporate governance.
• adessocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHRI partnered with adesso to develop the 'Index Digitale Souveränität' (Digital Sovereignty Index), measuring the degree of digital sovereignty in organizations across dimensions including hardware, software, cybersecurity, data management, cloud, and AI.
• Roland BergercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHRI co-publishes the annual 'State of the Nation' report with Roland Berger, providing a comprehensive economic assessment of Germany. The report analyzes the effects of crisis moments on businesses and the overall German economy.
• GeneralicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHRI has partnered with Generali to produce the annual Sustainable Impact Report and Sustainable Impact Award, analyzing corporate sustainability transformation efforts and recognizing companies making progress on ESG goals.
• AtruviacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHRI collaborates with Atruvia on the annual Banking Report, examining digitalization in the banking sector, changing customer interactions, and the role of AI in financial services. The partnership produces surveys of bank employees and executives.
• Verband der Vereine Creditreform e. V.coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHRI was commissioned by Creditreform to conduct a representative survey of 2,000 executives on the status of supply chain due diligence compliance in German companies, producing a comprehensive study one year after the German Supply Chain Act came into effect.
• STACKITcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHRI partnered with STACKIT (a German cloud provider) to research and publish a report on digital sovereignty in Germany, surveying decision-makers from the private and public sectors on their attitudes and measures related to digital sovereignty.
• Handelsverband Deutschland (HDE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHRI produces the monthly HDE Konsumbarometer (HDE Consumer Barometer) for the German Retail Association (HDE), providing regular consumer sentiment analysis for the German retail sector.
• InfosysminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHRI collaborated with Infosys on the Enterprise AI report, conducting a survey of corporate decision-makers on the adoption, implementation, and value generation of AI tools in enterprises.
• IW ConsultminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHRI partnered with IW Consult to produce a report on digital cities in Germany, combining HRI's citizen survey data with IW Consult's city ranking analysis on digitalization in the 71 largest German cities.
• StepStoneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHRI collaborated with StepStone on the 'Future. Work. Today.' report exploring the future of work and the labor market, surveying young professionals on their expectations of employers and career paths.
• IndeedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHRI partnered with Indeed to research and publish a report on young talents, examining what expectations young professionals have of employers and how they navigate their careers.
• CasewareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHRI produced a report on sustainability reporting obligations under the EU's CSRD directive, commissioned or supported by Caseware, examining how prepared German companies are for mandatory sustainability disclosures.
• Universität SiegenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHRI collaborated with the University of Siegen alongside Generali on the Sustainable Impact Report 2022, analyzing the sustainability transformation of German SMEs.
• Latham & WatkinsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLatham & Watkins contributed as a legal expertise partner to the State of the Nation report (2022), providing legal analysis on topics including capital markets, M&A, restructuring, and regulatory compliance.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bain & Company (research arm): Bain & Company is both an HRI partner (Female Allstar Board) and a broader incumbent — its in-house research and consulting practice competes with HRI for corporate strategy research engagements at the same clients.
• Roland Berger: Roland Berger co-publishes HRI's State of the Nation but also runs its own economic and sector research practice. Its Think Tank publications and the Roland Berger Institute directly overlap with HRI's custom and thematic research offerings.
• McKinsey Global Institute: MGI produces large-scale economic and industry research for corporate and policy audiences. While globally focused and embedded in a major consulting firm, it competes for the same enterprise research and thought-leadership budgets that HRI targets.

Direct peers

• Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel): IfW Kiel is a leading German economic research institute producing global economic forecasts and policy analysis, comparable in mission and output mix to HRI's macro and policy-oriented research.
• DIW Berlin: German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) is a Berlin-based applied economics institute publishing weekly reports (DIW Wochenbericht) and economic forecasts — directly comparable to HRI in scope, audience, and custom research offerings.
• ZEW (Centre for European Economic Research): Mannheim-based ZEW produces sector-specific economic research, the ZEW Indicator of Economic Sentiment, and commissioned studies for corporate clients — a near-direct functional competitor to HRI's custom research and macroeconomic forecasting work.
• ifo Institute: Munich-based ifo is one of Germany's leading economic research institutes, producing the ifo Business Climate Index and policy-oriented research that competes directly with HRI's Konjunkturprognose and macro-economic advisory offerings for corporate and institutional clients.
• IW Köln (German Economic Institute): Cologne-based employer-association affiliated economic research institute producing industry reports, sectoral analyses, and policy research — directly comparable to HRI in terms of commissioned corporate and association research outputs.
• RWI (Leibniz Institute for Economic Research): Essen-based RWI produces applied economic research, sector studies, and policy reports for public and corporate clients — a functional peer in commissioned and recurring economic research.

Others

• DIHK (Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry): DIHK produces regular economic outlooks, sectoral business surveys, and policy analyses aimed at German enterprises — adjacent to HRI's macro and consumer-research offerings and partially competing for the same association and corporate audience attention.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/handelsblatt-research-institute
• Facebookfacebook.com/handelsblatt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Handelsblatt Research Institute