Introducing the Cooperative Financial Network

As a Cooperative Central Bank, we are solely accountable to our owners, the Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken in Germany and thus indirectly to their approximately 30 million customers. More than half of these customers are themselves members of their cooperative bank. The business model of our Cooperative Financial Network is based on the cooperative idea that 'many can achieve what one cannot achieve alone'. Together with our subsidiaries, we develop products for the independent local cooperative banks, which have been rooted in their region for decades. In addition, as a corporate bank, we serve companies and institutions that require a national banking partner.

The cooperative banks have a long tradition of corporate responsibility and sustainability. The basic cooperative idea itself was based on the notion of solving economic and social problems together. We continue to uphold this tradition today. In the banking sector, it is precisely the large number of small, independent cooperative banks that contributes to the stability of the industry. This, in turn, is a prerequisite for sustainable economic development.

The Cooperative Financial Network Is One of the Largest Banking Groups in Germany

It includes around 700 local cooperative banks, the central bank DZ BANK, the companies of the DZ BANK Group – from the Bausparkasse Schwäbisch Hall to Union Investment – as well as various special institutions.

The strength of the cooperative financial network is based on shared cooperative roots and values such as solidarity, partnership and trust, as well as a culture of openness and transparency. The idea of forming cooperatives to insure against risks and combine economic success with social well-being is over 170 years old and more relevant today than ever. Cooperatives operate sustainably and responsibly. They enable the implementation of new ideas, support their members and are firmly rooted in the region.