Association of German Public Banks
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.
Read more about our Current positions on the regulation of banks and the financial markets.
Read more about our Regulation of Banks and Financial Markets in Europe – Glossary.
Read more about our Current positions on the regulation of instant payments.
The Association of German Public Banks (VÖB) is officially registered in the EU Transparency Register.
Eleven of our members are under direct ECB supervision (112 in Europe, 25 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 eleven 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).