{
  "id": 1884477,
  "title": "Das neue Geben: Banking mit Impact fischt am falschen Ende des Marktes",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/das-neue-geben-banking-mit-impact-fischt-am-falschen-ende-des-marktes",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-19T06:49:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/meinung/kolumnen/banken-warum-impact-investing-in-deutschland-nicht-die-richtigen-erreicht/100246713.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "Since last week, the sustainable Triodos Bank has sent cancellation notices to 35,000 more customers, who are leaving the bank in Germany. The bank's management explains that it's unlikely to become a significant player in the coming timeframe due to insufficient demand for green and social investment products. The reason, however, lies elsewhere: the market for green and social investment products faces structural problems that prevent it from becoming a mass market. The issue lies with high-net-worth customers. Triodos is not alone in this struggle. The Pax-Bank and Bank for Church and Caritas merged, and the digital bank Tomorrow shrunk significantly in 2025, despite still having a deep red balance sheet. Customers love the eco-friendly debit cards made of wood, but they are investing elsewhere. The asset universe is expanding upwards, but the growth is not the problem. The niche Wealth-Techs GLS Bank, with 388,000 customers and 11.6 billion euros in volume, still only generates 24 cents per 100 euros in balance sheet, which is only a third of what other cooperatives achieve. The reason: sustainable banks must offer the same products as everyone else, but finance a narrow universe of socially or environmentally oriented enterprises. These credits and investments are often smaller and more costly than those of conventional competitors. Therefore, claiming that sustainable banks offer a positive impact promise economically is a catastrophic mistake. The demand for impact investing is massive, fueled by the largest wealth transfer in history. Eighty percent of Gen Z and Millennials plan to invest in more impact-driven products, according to Morgan Stanley. The biggest opportunity is among high-net-worth individuals, whose numbers in Germany grew by eleven percent in 2025. Besides traditional private banks, successful wealth-techs like Liqid and Finvia have emerged as digital multi-family offices without an impact mission. The question remains: where can someone go to solve societal problems across all asset classes? No one has found a solution yet. A mandate over ten million euros generates 100,000 euros per year with a one percent fee. The GLS Bank needs 1372 customers for this fee, and the impact promise is not a limitation because the asset universe is expanding upwards. Private markets, direct investments, real estate, and serious philanthropy are included. A consultant can create impact where they cannot for small investors and sits on no deposit surplus. Such a house would not need to invent anything; it would just need to bring together all asset classes and measurement of impact, as well as a fee for consulting rather than product sales. Each of these building blocks exists in Germany, but they are scattered among different providers who do not communicate with each other. Major banks like UBS and LGT already integrate impact and philanthropy, but the niche can also work for newer and smaller providers like Veris Wealth Partners in Oakland, which manages 2.9 billion dollars in nearly 2500 portfolios, or Tribe Impact Capital, which is growing in London and recently acquired the Private-Markets specialist Snowball. Switzerland has Globalance Bank. It is unclear whether these houses will generate good money, but in Germany, no one is stepping up. Who dares in this category? I know that some professionals and potential customers are working on this, and they should connect now or risk missing out on a chance for the German banking landscape.",
  "summary": "Milliarden Euro warten darauf, ein neues Sinnangebot zu erhalten. Aber das Thema grüne und soziale Geldanlage fehlt genau dort, wo es funktionieren würde: bei vermögenden Kunden.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Handelsblatt",
        "title": "Das neue Geben: Banking mit Impact fischt am falschen Ende des Marktes",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/das-neue-geben-banking-mit-impact-fischt-am-falschen-ende-des-marktes",
        "published": "2026-08-18T07:27:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}