Christian Lindner, Germany’s Federal Minister of Finance from 2021 to 2024 and long-standing leader of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), will be a special guest at the 16th edition of the “Sound of Money” forum, taking place on 5 June at the Hyatt Regency Sofia.
Organised by Profit.bg, part of the international media group Ringier, the summit represents a key gathering for the financial, institutional, and business communities in Bulgaria and the region.
In the current global context of renegotiation and the search for new resilience and growth opportunities, the forum will once again bring together leading financial and economic strategists, as well as leaders from the broader business and institutional environment, in Sofia.
With his consistent advocacy for free markets and capital stability, Christian Lindner will open the afternoon session of the forum with a visionary perspective on Europe’s role in the post-Trump world.
Before entering politics, Lindner was an entrepreneur. As a long-time leader of the Free Democratic Party and Germany’s Finance Minister, he played a key role in restarting EU fiscal rules, consolidating the budget after COVID-19, and building the Capital Markets Union. As chair of the G7 finance ministers in 2022, he worked on crisis responses following Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
One of the most distinctive elements of Christian Lindner’s political legacy is his ability to foresee systemic risks and structural shifts before they fully materialised.
During his tenure, he consistently warned that Europe must urgently strengthen its strategic autonomy and competitiveness to withstand the pressures of economic rivalry between the US and China.
Today, with Donald Trump’s return to the White House, these warnings resonate even more sharply. The resurgence of tariff barriers and aggressive protectionism are no longer hypothetical but realised threats.
Lindner was also one of the few voices opposing the hasty introduction of the ban on internal combustion engine vehicles, warning that such a policy could harm the industrial core of the continent.
He also advocated for a digital leap in the public sector and for reducing administrative burdens as a prerequisite for technological advancement—a topic that, following the boom in artificial intelligence, is now widely accepted by most European governments.
All of this positions Lindner not merely as an observer of European transformations but as a participant whose ideas and warnings shape the political and economic landscape of Europe.
At the “Sound of Money 2025” forum, he will analyse how Europe can build strategic leadership through balanced policies between regulation and deregulation, capital stability, and economic freedom—especially in the context of the new global trade dynamics set by Donald Trump’s second administration.
Christian Lindner’s visit comes at a time when Germany’s status as Bulgaria’s most important foreign trade partner holds even greater significance given Trump’s new trade policies.
German companies have established themselves in Bulgaria as sustainable investors, successfully operating in industries such as manufacturing, energy, logistics, and services. According to the Bulgarian National Bank, direct German investments in Bulgaria exceeded €4 billion by December 2024.
The prospects for this partnership become even more promising with Bulgaria’s membership in Schengen and its active path towards joining the eurozone. However, this partnership is not isolated from global upheavals related to the new US tariff policy, which is reshaping conditions for trade, investment, and supply chains worldwide—with direct implications for Europe and the resilience of economic unions like that between Bulgaria and Germany.
It is precisely in this context that the “Sound of Money 2025” forum focuses on strategic adaptation and new mechanisms for economic integration amid global turbulence.
Jennifer Wilton, Editor-in-Chief of the German publication Die Welt, and Jamil Anderlini, Regional Director of POLITICO Europe, are among the speakers at Bulgaria’s leading financial forum, which will take place on 5 June at the Hyatt Regency Sofia.
The programme of the forum includes in-depth analyses and discussions on the most important economic, financial, and geopolitical topics of the present—from the consequences of the new world order following Donald Trump’s tariffs, through the future of the eurozone and sustainable business development, to investment strategies in times of instability, the new role of the banking sector, and transformations in the real estate sector.
Just a day before the event—on 4 June—the European Commission will publish the extraordinary convergence report on Bulgaria’s readiness to join the eurozone. This key step in the country’s European integration will set the tone for many of the discussions within the “Sound of Money 2025” forum. The topic of adopting the euro and Bulgaria’s role in the EU’s financial architecture is expected to be a leading theme in the forum’s visionary panels, bringing together political decisions, market logic, and public perspective.
Stay tuned for more details about the speakers and programmes on the forum’s website, which this year reflects the pulse of a pivotal time—with topics that not only analyse reality but also chart new horizons for business, the state, and society.
