The Church of Our Lady, or Frauenkirche, was destroyed during the firebombing of Dresden in the Second World War. It took more than 50 years to rebuild. German buyout professionals will be hoping the country's buyout market takes less time to restore, and with several processes inching forward, their prayers may yet be answered.

Dealflow remains stagnant in Germany, with just seven deals worth a combined $72m (50m) in the second quarter compared with 11 deals worth $11m in the first quarter, according to data provider Dealogic. In the second quarter of last year, there were 36 deals worth $7.4bn. In the past 12 months, mean volume has fallen 81% and value by 99%.