Frankfurt - Josef Ackermann, chief executive of Deutsche Bank, stuck Wednesday to his optimistic prediction that the world financial crisis will be over soon.

His remarks at a conference in Frankfurt contrasted with the more pessimistic Eurozone outlook the same day in Brussels from European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet.

Ackermann told a gathering organized by the German newspaper Handelsblatt that the end of the downturn was becoming more tangible: "We see a stabilization.

"We see the beginning of the end. There is growing confirmation of that."

The chief of Deutsche Bank, Germany's biggest commercial bank, also said he did not expect US investment bank Lehman Brothers to fail despite its huge problems this week.

"A collapse of a bank on this scale would have a whole train of repercussions. But I don't expect it to happen," he said. "I assume solutions will be found if it comes to the worst." (dpa)