The Association
A feature of economic and social life is the great diversity of opinions and interests. Channelling them into a democratic willforming process is the task of, among others, professional associations. They inform their members about major developments, formulate common concerns and argue their case in the political and public arena. Associations therefore play an important role in a pluralistic democracy.
History
The Association of German Banks (Bundesverband deutscher Banken), which represents the interests of the private commercial banks, was founded in Cologne in 1951. It looks back on the tradition of the Centralverband des deutschen Bank- und Bankiergewerbes, which existed from 1901 to 1945. In March 1999, it moved from Cologne to Berlin.
The association and its place in the German banking industry
The German banking industry is dominated by the universal banks, which engage in all types of banking business. They may be grouped into three categories, according to their legal form:
- Private commercial banks
- Cooperative banks (Volks- und Raiffeisenbanken)
- Public-sector banks
Measured in terms of business volume, all German private commercial banks hold a share of around 40 % of the banking market as a whole. They have a total of more than 180,000 (1) employees.
(1) Source: Arbeitgeberverband des privaten Bankgewerbes
