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, 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. Germany was also where a cooperative banking sector flourished first under leaders such as Franz Hermann Schulze-Delitzsch and Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen. Starting in the 1850s, joint-stock banks took momentum in various German states and developed rapidly into so-called , 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 (), as well as non-listed private banks (). 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. In Germany's case, the NCA is the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority, known by the German shorthand BaFin.
The EU framework provides for the possibility of institutional protection scheme that bind together networks of local banks into idiosyncratic risk-sharing arrangements. Of the EU's eight IPSs as of 2022, 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 ().
Recent developments In recent years, the number of credit institutions in Germany has gradually declined, primarily due to consolidation among cooperative banks and savings banks. This trend has been driven by competitive pressures, regulatory requirements, and increasing investment needs in digital infrastructure.
As of 2026, Germany's banking sector comprises approximately 1,160–1,170 institutions, including both significant and less significant institutions under European Central Bank supervision. Total assets of the banking system are estimated at €9.8 trillion.
Significant institutions
As of , the ECB had the following 27 banking groups based in Germany in its list of significant institutions. 11 of the 27 belonged to the two German IPSs, and 7 were German affiliates of global banking groups headquartered outside of the EU:
Atlantic Lux HoldCo Sàrl, Luxembourg holding entity of Aareal Bank Bayerische Landesbank (also known as BayernLB, SFG IPS) Citigroup Global Markets Europe AG, one of two intermediate parent undertakings of Citigroup in the EU Commerzbank AG DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale (SFG IPS) Deutsche Apotheker- und Ärztebank eG (apoBank, cooperative IPS) Deutsche Kreditbank also known as DKB Deutsche Pfandbriefbank AG also known as PBB Deutsche Bank AG DZ BANK AG (cooperative IPS) Goldman Sachs Bank Europe SE, one of two intermediate parent undertakings of Goldman Sachs in the EU Hamburg Commercial Bank AG Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen Girozentrale (Helaba, SFG IPS) Haspa Finanzholding (SFG IPS), one of two intermediate parent undertakings of JPMorgan Chase in the EU KfW Beteiligungsholding GmbH, subsidiary of KfW Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW, SFG IPS) Erwerbsgesellschaft der S-Finanzgruppe mbH & Co. KG (Landesbank Berlin, SFG IPS) LBS Landesbausparkasse Süd (SFG IPS) Morgan Stanley Europe Holding SE, intermediate parent undertaking of Morgan Stanley in the EU Münchener Hypothekenbank eG (cooperative IPS) NatWest Bank Europe GmbH, one of two intermediate parent undertakings of NatWest Group in the EU Norddeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale (NORD/LB, SFG IPS) Oldenburgische Landesbank AG, acquired since then by Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale State Street Europe Holdings Germany Sàrl & Co. KG, subsidiary of State Street UBS Europe SE, subsidiary of UBS Volkswagen Financial Services AG, subsidiary of Volkswagen , subsidiary of Wüstenrot & Württembergische
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). 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.
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. 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, 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, and the Cooperative Financial Group disclosed consolidated assets of €1.6 trillion. Considered as banking groups, the SFG and Cooperative Financial Group therefore qualify as the two largest in Germany.
Less significant institutions
As of , 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.
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:
BBBank eG (cooperative IPS) (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 (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 (SFG IPS) (SFG IPS) Bank Pictet & Cie (Europe) AG, subsidiary of Pictet Group ProCredit Holding AG & Co. KGaA (see also ProCredit Bank below) (financial holding in the SFG IPS) SMBC Bank EU AG, intermediate parent undertaking of SMBC Group in the EU (cooperative IPS) Finanzholding der (financial holding in the SFG IPS) (SFG IPS) (SFG IPS) (SFG IPS) (SFG IPS) Stadtsparkasse München (SFG IPS) , subsidiary of Toyota
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.
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:
Kreissparkasse Ludwigsburg Ostsächsische Sparkasse Dresden Sparkasse an Volme und Ruhr Sparkasse Mittelholstein AG Stadt- und Kreissparkasse Leipzig
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:
Bank im Bistum Essen eG Edekabank AG GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG Bank für Kirche und Diakonie eG - KD-Bank Pax-Bank für Kirche und Caritas eG PSD group of banks VBU Volksbank im Unterland eG Volksbank in Ostwestfalen eG Volksbank Neckartal eG Volksbank Stuttgart eG
Other domestic German LSIs
The 95 other domestic German LSIs are listed below, based on the ECB list of supervised entities as of .
abcbank GmbH Airbus Bank GmbH, subsidiary of Airbus
Alte Leipziger Bauspar AG, subsidiary of 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
BB Beteiligungs GmbH, holding entity of Bankhaus Bauer Bankhaus Bauer AG
Bankhaus Herzogpark AG
Bankhaus Obotritia GmbH
Bankhaus Werhahn GmbH
BfW - Bank für Wohnungswirtschaft AG C24 Bank GmbH, subsidiary of , a public-sector credit institution
Clearstream Banking AG, subsidiary of Deutsche Börse
, subsidiary of Generali Deutsche Haftungsdach GmbH Donner & Reuschel AG , part of the , fully-owned subsidiary of DZB ETRIS Bank GmbH, subsidiary of 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
Fürst Fugger Privatbank AG Fürstlich Castell'sche Bank Credit-Casse AG
Goyer & Göppel KG Grenke AG
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
Merkur Bank KGaA
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
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
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
Trade Republic Bank GmbH Tradegate AG, owner of Trumpf Financial Services GmbH, subsidiary of Trumpf Umweltbank AG
Varengold Bank AG FS E&G Holding GmbH, owner of V-Bank
Non-euro-area-controlled LSIs