Association of German Banks

The Association of German Banks (German: Bundesverband deutscher Banken) is the association of private banks in Germany and the main lobby group for Germany's financial sector. In the traditional pillar system of the German banking industry this represents all banks that have evolved from merchant banks unlike the co-operative branch (like credit unions) or regional state banks (German public banks). The association is a member of the Central Credit Committee governing the banking industry in Germany and a member of the European Banking Federation. The President of the association is Hans-Walter Peters.

The Bankenverband was founded 1951 in Cologne as the successor of the pre-war "Centralverbandes des deutschen Bank- und Bankiergewerbes" (Central Association of the German Banking and Financing Industry). Nowadays it is the German Banking Industry Committee. In 1999 it moved to Berlin while the subsidiary Bankverlag (bank publishing company) is still located in Cologne. Besides, the association owns an office in Brussels. Legally, the association is an Eingetragener Verein.

The Bankenverband represents the joint interests of around 210 private commercial banks and 11 member associations. It identifies relevant national and international developments, particularly regulatory and legislative initiatives, and works out common positions for its members. On behalf of its members, it participates in public debate and plays a part in the political opinion-forming process.

Over the years, the range of responsibilities has grown significantly, now including, among others, running the Deposit Protection Fund and statutory compensation scheme and combating the financial crisis.

The Bundesverband is led by a board of directors (Vorstand). The big banks (Großbanken) staff each 1 member, the small privately owned banks (Privatbankiers) collectively have two seats, the regional banks have four seats, the foreign banks have one seat. By virtue of his office, the General Manager of the association is also a member of the board.

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