Nearly Every Other Slovak Plans to Invest. Which Investment Instruments Are Attracting Their Attention?

Slovaks are reassessing how they manage their savings. While overall investment appetite remains stable, preferences for investment products are shifting significantly. Traditional banking products have seen a slight decline in consideration, while interest in index funds, equities and ETFs is growing. These findings emerge from a comparison of the March and September surveys conducted by Crowdberry, a regulated investment platform.

Crowdberry’s latest survey shows that 44% of respondents plan to invest. The proportion intending to invest as much as or more than before stands at 37.9%, virtually unchanged from March. The main shift in investment behaviour concerns the choice of investment products.

Bank investment products lose some ground as ETFs and equities lead the way

Investment products offered by banks saw the largest decline in near-term interest. The proportion of respondents considering them fell from 26.5% in March to 19.1% in September. Mixed-asset funds (22%) consequently overtook bank investment products as the third most popular option.

“Investors are becoming more sensitive to fee structures. They recognise that traditional bank investment products may deliver lower returns than alternatives such as index-tracking ETFs or debt investments,” says Marek Baranyai, Debt Financing Manager at Crowdberry, commenting on the findings.

ETFs (33.6%) and equities (30.2%) remain firmly at the top of the ranking.

Interest in equity ownership in private companies has grown

The survey identified growing interest in private equity and direct ownership stakes in unlisted companies. The proportion of respondents considering this type of investment doubled from 2.6% in March to 5.2% in September. It remains a niche option, appealing to approximately one in twenty investors.

Interest in acquiring equity stakes is highest among respondents in their thirties (9.7%) and those planning to increase their investment budgets (9.1%). These findings are based on a non-representative survey. However, the age profile is broadly consistent with the experience of Slovakia’s largest investment platform offering this type of investment. Its investors who acquire equity stakes are typically aged 35–55 and already hold diversified investment portfolios.