The Association of German Public Banks' positions for the European Election 2024

Europe is facing major challenges: International conflicts, climate change and populist movements threaten our values. As public banks, we are aware of the importance of a strong EU. Read our positions on the 2024 European elections and find out how we want to strengthen the financial sector to finance Europe's transformation and ensure its competitiveness.

Regulation of Banks and Financial Markets in Europe – Glossary

Banking and financial market regulation have brought with them numerous abbreviations and terms. The English edition of the VÖB Glossary on Financial Market Regulation in Europe takes up the most important terms from "ABCP - Asset-Backed Commercial Paper" to "ZAIT - Supervisory Requirements for IT in Payment Services" and explains them concisely.

Current Positions on the regulation of banks and the financial markets

Now published in English: Our "Current Positions on the regulation of banks and the financial markets". Topics include sustainable finance, the Future Finance Act as well as the implementation of Basel III in the EU.

19 promotional and development banks in Germany

The Association of German Public Banks (VÖB) is a leading association of the German banking industry and belongs to the German Banking Industry Committee (GBIC)*. Our members cumulated total assets account to more than 3,029 billion euros, constituting approximately one quarter of the German banking market.
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Event: Future-securing social investments - what do we need to do?

29 May 2024, 09:30 - 19:30 : Representation of the State of Baden-Württemberg, Tiergartenstraße 15, 10785 Berlin 

The future viability of our society depends on a comprehensive sustainable transformation, in which social investment must also be promoted.

However, the social investment landscape is like a jigsaw puzzle, with pieces worth 100 to 150 billion euros missing in Europe every year. This investment gap is particularly evident in the areas of affordable and socially acceptable housing, education, refugee integration and health and care.

In order to future-proof our society, we must not only invest in ecological transformation, but also focus on social investments. Private capital will play a key role here, too. The high demand for „social and resilience bonds“ already reflects the growing interest of investors. However, in order to increasingly channel financial flows into social projects, a sensible orientation framework is required.

Find out more about our Event "Future-securing social investments - what do we need to do?"

Note: Event will be held in German

All press releases

The Association of German Public Banks (VÖB) is a leading association of the German banking industry and belongs to the German Banking Industry Committee (GBIC)*. Our members cumulated total assets account to more than 3,029 billion euros, constituting approximately one quarter of the German banking market. They serve companies, SMEs, the public sector, and retail customers and are firmly rooted in their home regions in Germany. VÖB is also an employer association, our members employ more than 60.000 staff.

VÖB represents 61 members, they include

5 Landesbanken and DekaBank (securities services provider) and

19 promotional and development banks (federal and regional level).

German Landesbanken are commercial banks under public ownership. Four of them and DekaBank, fall under direct ECB supervision and are among the 15 largest banks in Germany. On the other hand, German promotional banks and institutions have very specific business models and carry out financial, development and promotional activities. They are given a governmental mandate on central or regional level and are owned by Germany or the individual German states. Additionally, to our ordinary members, we have several associate members which are also members in other German or Swiss banking associations. Membership in our association is voluntary.

The Association of German Public Banks (VÖB) is officially registered in the EU Transparency Register.

Ten of our members are under direct ECB supervision (115 in Europe, 21 in Germany).

VÖB has around 80 staff members who are based in Berlin and Brussels. Due to the particular importance of European banking and financial markets regulation eight colleagues in our Brussels office are in regular and direct dialogue with the EU institutions and authorities as well as other relevant stakeholders. We primarily focus on following topics: banking regulation, banking supervision, digitalisation, sustainable finance, accounting, capital markets, payment services, economic and promotional policy, and legal issues. Currently, our most important topics are:

  • the implementation of Basel III,
  • sustainable finance,
  • the capital markets union, and
  • digitalisation.

Since ten of our members are directly supervised by the ECB, we have a regular, half-yearly dialogue with the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) at CEO and working level, in which also regionally oriented banks from other member states (esp. France, the Netherlands, Finland, Spain, Austria) participate. Our experts regularly participate in working groups of the German and European banking industry (e.g. EBIC).

To ensure a proper representation of our members’ interests at European level, VÖB is a member of the European Association of Public Banks, EAPB as well as an adherent member of the European Banking Federation, EBF. VÖB maintains a regular dialogue with the IMF and OECD about the economic situation and developments and challenges for the German banking sector.

* The German Banking Industry Committee (GBIC) is the voice of the leading German banking-sector associations. It is composed by the National Association of the German Cooperative Banks (BVR), the Association of German Banks (BdB), the Association of German Public Banks (VÖB), the German Savings Banks Association (DSGV), and the Association of German Pfandbrief Banks (vdp).