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List of banks in Germany

The following list of banks in Germany is to be understood within the framework of the European single market and European banking union, which means that Germany's banking system is more open to cross-border banking operations than peers outside of the EU.

Context

Historical background

Germany stands out for the uniquely extensive development of its public banking sector,[6] whose origins can be traced back to the late 18th century and which acquired some of its current features with the development of savings banks during the 19th century.[7] Germany was also where a cooperative banking sector flourished first under leaders such as Franz Hermann Schulze-Delitzsch and Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen.[8] Starting in the 1850s, joint-stock banks took momentum in various German states and developed rapidly into so-called Grossbanken, universal banks with connections with numerous industrial ventures forming loose conglomerates.

As a result, the banking sector in Germany has long been described of consisting of three "pillars", respectively public-sector banks, cooperative banks, and commercial banks - the latter including the Grossbanken and other joint-stock banks sometimes referred to as regional banks (Regionalbanken), as well as non-listed private banks (Privatbanken). These pillars are still represented by separate trade bodies — respectively the VÖB, BVR and BdB — and rely on separate deposit guarantee schemes unlike in most other EU countries where a single scheme covers all deposits.

Policy framework

European banking supervision distinguishes between significant institutions (SIs) and less significant institutions (LSIs), with SI/LSI designations updated regularly by the European Central Bank (ECB). Significant institutions are directly supervised by the ECB using joint supervisory teams that involve the national competent authorities (NCAs) of individual participating countries. Less significant institutions are supervised by the relevant NCA on a day-to-day basis, under the supervisory oversight of the ECB.[9] In Germany's case, the NCA is the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority, known by the German shorthand BaFin.[10]

The EU framework provides for the possibility of institutional protection scheme that bind together networks of local banks into idiosyncratic risk-sharing arrangements.[11] Of the EU's eight IPSs as of 2022,[12] two are in Germany, namely the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe (SFG) and German Cooperative Financial Group. The latter corresponds exactly to the cooperative pillar of the German banking system, whereas the SFG is only a subgroup of the public-sector pillar which also includes public development banks (Förderbanken).

Significant institutions

As of 2025-9-1, the ECB had the following 27 banking groups based in Germany in its list of significant institutions.[13] 11 of the 27 belonged to the two German IPSs, and 7 were German affiliates of global banking groups headquartered outside of the EU:

A study published in 2024 assessed that the largest bank by assets in Germany (as opposed to total consolidated assets) at end-2023 was Deutsche Bank (€1.1 trillion, including Postbank and Norisbank) followed by DZ Bank (€619 bn), Commerzbank (€460 bn), J.P. Morgan (€421 bn), LBBW (€333 bn), Goldman Sachs (€291 bn), UniCredit (€283 bn), BayernLB (€273 bn), Helaba (€202 bn), ING (€169 bn), Morgan Stanley (€107 bn), NORD/LB (€104 bn), and DekaBank (€85 bn).[15] Deutsche Bank has been consistently designated as Global systemically important bank (G-SIB) by the Financial Stability Board, including in the update of November 2025.[16]

This ranking includes euro area banks based outside Germany that operate in Germany via subsidiaries, such as UniCredit via HypoVereinsbank and ING via ING DiBa. Other cases are Santander via Santander Consumer Bank Germany, Crédit Mutuel via Targobank, as well as ABN AMRO, BPCE, Crédit Agricole, and Société Générale.[13] The ranking, however, does not feature banking groups that operate in Germany through branches and do not disclose the corresponding national branch assets, such as BNP Paribas whose branch operates its German brands Consorsbank and DAB BNP Paribas,[17] or HSBC which operates in Germany through Paris-based HSBC Continental Europe. The ranking also does not take into account consolidated figures for the two German IPSs: also at end-2023, the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe disclosed combined total German assets of €2.5 trillion euros,[18] and the Cooperative Financial Group disclosed consolidated assets of €1.6 trillion.[19] Considered as banking groups, the SFG and Cooperative Financial Group therefore qualify as the two largest in Germany.

Less significant institutions

As of 2025-9-1, the ECB's list of supervised institutions included 1,145 German LSIs out of 2,062 in the euro area, or 55.6 percent of the euro-area total.[13]

High-impact LSIs

Of these, 27 were designated by the ECB as "high-impact" on the basis of several criteria including size, including 4 in the cooperative IPSs and 12 in the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe IPS:

Of the above, Eurex Clearing AG meets the criteria for SI designation, but has been classified by the ECB as a LSI by special derogation together with a handful of other financial market infrastructures.[13]

  • BBBank eG (cooperative IPS)
  • Berliner Volksbank eG (cooperative IPS)
  • BMW Bank GmbH, subsidiary of BMW
  • Clearstream Holding AG, subsidiary of Deutsche Börse
  • Deutsche WertpapierService Bank AG, a joint venture of the SFG and Cooperative Group
  • Eurex Clearing AG, another subsidiary of Deutsche Börse
  • Frankfurter Volksbank Rhein/Main eG (cooperative IPS)
  • IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG, owned by Lone Star Funds
  • Kreissparkasse Köln (SFG IPS)
  • Landesbank Saar (SFG IPS)
  • LBS Landesbausparkasse NordWest (SFG IPS)
  • Lloyds Bank GmbH, subsidiary of Lloyds Bank
  • Mercedes-Benz Bank AG, subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz Group
  • Mittelbrandenburgische Sparkasse (SFG IPS)
  • Nassauische Sparkasse (SFG IPS)
  • Bank Pictet & Cie (Europe) AG, subsidiary of Pictet Group
  • ProCredit Holding AG & Co. KGaA (see also ProCredit Bank below)
  • Sachsen-Finanzgruppe (financial holding in the SFG IPS)
  • SMBC Bank EU AG, intermediate parent undertaking of SMBC Group in the EU[14]
  • Sparda-Bank Baden-Württemberg (cooperative IPS)
  • Finanzholding der Sparkasse Bremen (financial holding in the SFG IPS)
  • Sparkasse Hannover (SFG IPS)
  • Sparkasse KölnBonn (SFG IPS)
  • Sparkasse Pforzheim Calw (SFG IPS)
  • Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf (SFG IPS)
  • Stadtsparkasse München (SFG IPS)
  • Toyota Kreditbank, subsidiary of Toyota

Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe

In addition to the above-listed 8 SIs and 12 high-impact LSIs, the ECB list included 336 LSIs (334 credit institutions and 2 financial holding companies) that were members of the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe IPS. Among these, the following ones are specifically documented on Wikipedia in English:

Cooperative Financial Group

In addition to the above-listed 3 SIs and 4 high-impact LSIs, the ECB list also included 653 entities (652 credit institutions and one financial holding company) that were members of the German Cooperative Financial Group IPS. Among these, the following ones are specifically documented on Wikipedia in English:

Other domestic German LSIs

The 95 other domestic German LSIs are listed below, based on the ECB list of supervised entities as of 2025-9-1.

  • ABC Group
  • abcbank GmbH
  • Airbus Bank GmbH, subsidiary of Airbus
  • AKA Ausfuhrkredit
  • Akf Bank
  • Alte Leipziger Bauspar AG, subsidiary of Alte Leipziger – Hallesche
  • B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG
  • Baader Verwaltungs GmbH, holding entity of Baader Bank
  • Baader Beteiligungs GmbH, intermediate holding entity
  • Baader Bank AG
  • Bank 11 Holding GmbH, parent entity of Bank11
  • Bank11
  • Bankhaus Hafner
  • BB Beteiligungs GmbH, holding entity of Bankhaus Bauer
  • Bankhaus Bauer AG
  • Bankhaus C. L. Seeliger
  • Bankhaus E. Mayer
  • Bankhaus Ellwanger & Geiger
  • Bankhaus Gebr. Martin
  • Bankhaus Herzogpark AG
  • Bankhaus Ludwig Sperrer
  • Bankhaus Max Flessa
  • Bankhaus Obotritia GmbH
  • Bankhaus Rautenschlein
  • Bankhaus Werhahn GmbH
  • Bausparkasse Mainz
  • BfW - Bank für Wohnungswirtschaft AG
  • C24 Bank GmbH, subsidiary of Check24
  • Calenberger Kreditverein, a public-sector credit institution
  • CB Bank GmbH
  • Clearstream Banking AG, subsidiary of Deutsche Börse
  • Cronbank
  • CVW-Privatbank
  • Deutsche Bausparkasse Badenia, subsidiary of Generali
  • Deutsche Haftungsdach GmbH
  • Donner & Reuschel AG
  • DZB Bank, part of the ANWR Group
  • Aktivbank, fully-owned subsidiary of DZB
  • ETRIS Bank GmbH, subsidiary of E/D/E
  • Global Heart Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, holding entity of FIB
  • FIB Frankfurt International Bank AG
  • flatexDEGIRO AG, holding entity of flatexDEGIRO Bank
  • flatex Finanz GmbH, intermediate holding
  • Flatexdegiro Bank
  • FNZ Bank
  • Fürst Fugger Privatbank AG
  • Fürstlich Castell'sche Bank Credit-Casse AG
  • Gabler-Saliter Bankgeschäft
  • Goyer & Göppel KG
  • Grenke AG
  • Grenke Bank
  • GSCF Working Capital Bank GmbH
  • Hoerner-Bank AG
  • Würth Finanz-Beteiligungs-GmbH, majority-owner of IBB
  • Internationales Bankhaus Bodensee AG
  • Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co. KG, also known as Berenberg Bank
  • M.M. Warburg & Co Gruppe GmbH, holding entity
  • M. M. Warburg & Co (AG & Co) KGaA
  • Marcard, Stein & Co
  • Sutor Bank
  • mediserv Bank
  • Merkur Bank KGaA
  • MKB Mittelstandskreditbank
  • MLP SE
  • MLP Banking AG, subsidiary of MLP SE
  • N26 AG
  • N26 Bank AG
  • National-Bank AG
  • BHF Group SA, Belgian entity of the Oddo BHF Group
  • ODDO BHF AG, subsidiary of BHF Group SA
  • Otto M. Schröder Bank
  • PEAC Holdings (Germany) GmbH & Co KG, leasing group owned by HPS Investment Partners
  • PEAC (Germany) GmbH, subsidiary of PEAC Holdings
  • ProCredit Bank AG, subsidiary of ProCredit Holding
  • Berliner Effektengesellschaft AG, holding entity of Quirin Privatbank
  • Quirin Privatbank
  • Raisin Bank
  • RSB Retail + Service Bank GmbH
  • Siemens Bank GmbH, subsidiary of Siemens Financial Services
  • Signal Iduna Bauspar AG, subsidiary of Signal Iduna Group
  • Solaris SE
  • BFS SozialFinanz AG, holding entity of SozialBank
  • SozialBank AG
  • Sparkasse zu Lübeck AG
  • Steyler Bank GmbH
  • SWK Bank
  • TEN31 Bank
  • Trade Republic Bank GmbH
  • Tradegate AG, owner of Tradegate Exchange
  • Trumpf Financial Services GmbH, subsidiary of Trumpf
  • Umweltbank AG
  • Union-Bank
  • Varengold Bank AG
  • FS E&G Holding GmbH, owner of V-Bank
  • V-Bank

Non-euro-area-controlled LSIs

Based on the same ECB list, the following 35 LSIs were controlled by financial groups based outside the euro area. They include 22 subsidiaries, and 13 branches of banks based in the European Economic Area (EEA) but outside of the euro area.

Third-country branches

As of 2025-10-13, the following banking groups established outside the EEA had branches in Germany ("third-country branches" in EU parlance):<re[14]

Public credit institutions

The following European, national and sub-national public public credit institutions are based in Germany but do not hold a banking license under EU law (Capital Requirements Directives) and are therefore outside the remit of European banking supervision:<re[20]

European level

  • European Central Bank in Frankfurt, an EU institution

Federal level

  • Deutsche Bundesbank in Frankfurt, Germany's national central bank
  • Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau in Frankfurt
  • Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank in Frankfurt

State level

Defunct banks

Selected former German banks are listed below in chronological order of establishment, divided into three categories.

Former central banks & banks of issue

The Hamburger Bank had attributes of a central bank despite not issuing its own paper money.<re[21] In the 19th century, Germany's political fragmentation led to the establishment of numerous banks of issue until monetary unification in the 1870s. Even after that, multiple banks kept their issuance privilege until the Reichsbank eventually acquired a monopoly in 1935.

The Oldenburgische Landesbank was a private bank of issue from establishment in 1868 until end-1875. The Deutsche Golddiskontbank (1924-1945) and Liquidity Consortium Bank (1974-2015) had purposes related with monetary policy even though they were not themselves money-issuing or central banks.

  • Hamburger Bank (1619-1875)
  • Preußische Bank (1766-1876)
  • Lübecker Privatbank (1820-1927), bank of issue 1856-1875
  • Bayerische Hypotheken- und Wechsel-Bank (1834-1998), bank of issue until 1874
  • Leipziger Bank (1838-1901), bank of issue 1839-1875
  • Bank für Süddeutschland (1846-1902)
  • Anhalt-Dessauische Landesbank (1846-1945), bank of issue 1847-1875
  • Darlehnskassen, intermittent issuing institutions (1848-1924)
  • Chemnitzer Stadtbank (1848-1914), bank of issue until end-1890
  • Homburger Bank (1849-1929), bank of issue 1855-1876
  • Bank des Berliner Kassenvereins (1850-1942), bank of issue until 1876
  • Rostocker Bank (1850-2016), bank of issue until 1877
  • Braunschweigische Bank (1852-1929), bank of issue until 1906
  • Weimarische Bank (1853-?), bank of issue until end-1875
  • Frankfurter Bank (1854-1970), bank of issue until 1901
  • Kölnische Privatbank (1855-?), bank of issue until 1887
  • Geraer Bank (1854-?), bank of issue until end-1875
  • Bremer Bank (1856-2010), bank of issue 1857-1889
  • Commerz-Bank in Lübeck (1856-?), bank of issue until 1886
  • Danziger Privat-Actien-Bank (1856-1940), bank of issue 1857-1890
  • Hannoversche Bank (1856-1920), bank of issue until 1889
  • Magdeburger Privatbank (1856-1919), bank of issue until end-1890
  • Mitteldeutsche Creditbank (1856-1929), bank of issue until end-1875
  • Niedersächsische Bank zu Bückeburg (1856-?), bank of issue until end-1875
  • Privatbank zu Gotha (1856-1920), bank of issue until end-1875
  • Thüringische Bank (1855-1880), bank of issue until end-1875
  • Sächsische Bank (1865-1945), bank of issue until 1935
  • Kommunalständische Bank für die preußische Oberlausitz (1866-?), bank of issue until end-1875
  • Leipziger Kassenverein (1867-?), bank of issue until 1890
  • Badische Bank (1870-1978), bank of issue until 1935
  • Württembergische Notenbank (1871-1978), bank of issue until 1935
  • Bayerische Notenbank (1875-1935)
  • Reichsbank (1876-1945)
  • Deutsche Rentenbank (1923-1945), bank of issue until 1924
  • Reichskreditkasse (1939-1945)
  • Bank deutscher Länder (1948-1957)
  • Deutsche Notenbank (1948-1968)
  • Staatsbank der DDR (1968-1990)

Other defunct banks headquartered in present-day German territory

Several of these banks came to an end in 1945 when the Soviet Forces in Germany decided to terminate existing banking activity in their occupation zone.

Defunct German banks headquartered outside present-day Germany

This list includes former banks of issue as well as commercial banks, in the former eastern territories of Germany and its temporary conquests during World War I and World War II.

  • Schlesische Landschaft (1770-1945)
  • Pommersche Landschaft (1781-1945)
  • Ritterschaftliche Privatbank in Pommern (1824-1877), bank of issue until end-1875<re[22]
  • Wm. Schlutow (1832-1934)
  • Städtische Bank in Breslau (1848-1910), bank of issue until end-1893
  • Schlesischer Bankverein (1856-1917)
  • Provinzial-Aktienbank des Großherzogtums Posen (1857-1929), bank of issue until end-1890, from 1898 named Ostbank für Handel und Gewerbe with bank-of-issue role revived 1916-1918 as Darlehnskasse Ost
  • Darlehnskasse Ost under direct military administration (1918-1922)
  • Polish National Loan Bank (1916-1924), under German control until late 1918
  • Bank of Issue in Poland (1940-1945)

See also

  • List of banks in the euro area
  • List of banks in Europe

References

  1. EMEA Legal Entity Information – Incorporation Details and Regulatory Status Disclosures J.P. Morgan, retrieved 2025-12-2^
  2. Über Goldman Sachs in Deutschland Goldman Sachs, retrieved 2025-12-2^
  3. LEO (ING Bank) in Frankfurt am Main Skyline Atlas, retrieved 2025-12-2^
  4. The Omniturm, Frankfurt/ Main - Germany Jung Group, retrieved 2025-12-2^
  5. Imprint DekaBank, retrieved 2025-12-2^
  6. Federal Reserve Board. Army Service Forces Manual M356-5 / Military Government Handbook - Germany - Section 5: Money and Banking U.S. Army Service Forces, March 1945^
  7. Timothy W. Guinnane. Delegated Monitors, Large and Small: The Development of Germany's Banking System, 1800-1914 Yale University Economic Growth Center, 2001^
  8. Die Geschichte der Genossenschaftsbanken bvr.de^
  9. What are less significant institutions? European Central Bank, 2024-8-2^
  10. Members and Observers European Banking Authority, retrieved 2025-11-19^
  11. Institutional Protection Schemes: What are their differences, strengths, weaknesses, and track records? European Parliament, 2022^
  12. Harry Huizinga. Institutional Protection Schemes - What are their differences, strengths, weaknesses, and track records? European Parliament, March 2022^
  13. List of supervised entities - Cut-off date for changes in group structures: 1 September 2025 European Central Bank, 2025-10-24^
  14. The EBA updates list of third-country groups and branches operating in the European Union and the European Economic Area European Banking Authority, 2025-10-13^
  15. Giulia Gotti, Conor McCaffrey & Nicolas Véron. Banking union and the long wait for cross-border integration European Parliament, October 2024^
  16. 2025 List of Global Systemically Important Banks (G-SIBs) Financial Stability Board, 2025-11-27^
  17. DAB BNP Paribas DAB BNP Paribas, retrieved 2025-12-2^
  18. Financial Report 2023 of the Savings Banks Finance Group Finanzgruppe Deutscher Sparkassen- und Giroverband^
  19. 2023 consolidated financial statements: profit of €14.4 billion / Cooperative Financial Network is well equipped for change National Association of German Cooperative Banks, 2024-7-9^
  20. Directive 2013/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 on access to the activity of credit institutions and the prudential supervision of credit institutions and investment firms - Current consolidated version - Article 2 EUR-Lex, 2025-1-17^
  21. Ulrich Bindseil. Central Banking Before 1800: A Rehabilitation Oxford University Press, 2019^
  22. A History of Banking in all the Leading Nations Journal of Commerce and Commercial Bulletin, 1896^