Born in
Bonn on 3 November 1937, he became an apprentice at the Mainz branch of Süddeutsche Bank, a successor institution of
Deutsche Bank after World War II. earning a doctorate. In 1999, Deutsche Bank bought the American
Bankers Trust, initiating a global network. In 2001, the bank's stocks were introduced at the
New York Stock Exchange. The bank overall experienced substantial international expansion under his leadership. In published on 4 February 2002, Breuer doubted the creditworthiness of
Leo Kirch. When Kirch's media group,
Kirch Group, went bankrupt shortly afterwards, Kirch blamed Breuer and the bank and sued them. In 2014, after Kirch's death, a multi-million settlement with his heirs was finally achieved. Breuer was interested in a consolidation of Germany as a financial marketplace, which earned him the nickname "Mr. Finanzplatz". He was president of the supervisory board of the
Deutsche Börse, chairman of the council of the
Frankfurt Stock Exchange, initiator and board member of the Aktionskreis Finanzplatz, and president of the
Bundesverband deutscher Banken. Breuer was active in positions of cultural and educational relevance. He was a member of the council of the
Goethe University Frankfurt from 2001 to 2014, from 2005 as its speaker. In the position he worked towards a modernisation of the university. He was also a member of the board of trustees of both the university's
Goethe Business School and the
House of Finance. He worked in the supervisory board and as president of the financial committee of the Universitätsklinikum, and was on the board of directors of both the Gesellschaft für Kapitalmarktforschung and the Center of Financial Studies. He was president of the . Breuer died on 22 May 2024 in Frankfurt at the age of 86, after a long illness. == Awards ==