Social commitment

As an institute of the Savings Banks Finance Group, DekaBank has a special obligation to be involved in society and public welfare. DekaBank fulfils its public mandate by providing financial and non-material support for various projects in all areas of social life. Objectives, activities and current projects regarding the social commitment of DekaBank are described in the following.

Basic information in the Sustainability Report 2025

There is no information on this specific topic in the Sustainability Report 2025. 


Supplementary information 

The focus of DekaBank’s social commitment is on supporting the socially meaningful work of universities, museums, social organisations and other institutions. The central objective is to enable all social groups to participate in the wide range of offers. The funding of cultural education is accorded particular importance, as it fosters intercultural understanding and an open-minded world view, alongside social integration. Open-mindedness can help to create a diverse and dynamic environment in which innovative processes are instigated and new ideas are generated. 

Out of conviction, DekaBank pursues longstanding funding partnerships and is involved in the areas of social events, sport, education and science, art, music and architecture. On the one hand, DekaBank supports renowned institutions at the Frankfurt am Main headquarters. On the other hand, it enters into nationally important partnerships in association with other institutes of the Savings Banks Finance Group and supports projects that can only be realised through the partnership. The DekaBank partnerships are characterised by intense cooperation and trusting communication. This commitment is supplemented by the Deka art collection and the historical archive with the “Dekarium” exhibition.
 
 

Further information

You can find further information on the addressed topics on the Deka Group’s website and/or in relevant documents.

Deka Group’s website:

Basic information in the Sustainability Report 2025

There is no information on this specific topic in the Sustainability Report 2025. 


Supplementary information 

The focus of the DekaBank social commitment is on the following areas:
 

• In the field of education and science, DekaBank focuses on supporting young researchers under the motto “Enabling Opportunities”. As a long-term funding partner, it is involved in the joint AI research center “Flow Factory,” a collaboration between the Savings Banks Finance Groupand the European Research Center for Information Systems (ERCIS) at the University of Münster. In addition to providing financial support for scientific research, the partnership aims in particular to create a close integration of science and practice. Interdisciplinary, cross-organizational research teams are investigating current issues related to the responsible use of artificial intelligence in the financial sector.
   
• In the field of art, music and architecture, DekaBank promotes numerous projects, enabling visitors to exhibitions and concerts to become actively involved on different levels with a wide range of cultural developments that influence society. An example of this is the longstanding partnership with the National Youth Orchestra of Germany, with the aim of fostering talent and setting high standards in youth orchestra work. The cooperation is prolonging the decades-long partnership of the Savings Banks Finance Group with the competition entitled “Youth makes music”. The goal of the National Youth Orchestra of Germany is to enable access to the world of music and to foster an open-minded approach to differing music traditions for everyone, regardless of their social or ethnic background. Since 2020 and as part of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Deka together with other institutes of the Savings Banks Finance Group has also been sponsoring the Leonard Bernstein Award for young stars of the musician scene, in order to give them the necessary momentum and boost for an international career. With the International Highrise Award (Internationaler Hochhauspreis, IHP), DekaBank is providing impulses for the sustainable building of the future.
   
• In the area of social work, DekaBank supports its partners in providing long-term services that benefit economically and socially disadvantaged people, particularly children and young people. In this way, the support not only helps improve living and educational opportunities but also enables social participation. Currently, DekaBank is focusing its efforts in this area on supporting the Freundeskreis der Arche Frankfurt am Main e. V. The goal of this partnership is to strengthen the developmental and educational opportunities of disadvantaged children, young people, and their families, thereby opening up new prospects for their future.
   
  Social projects are also the focus of the two campaigns “Deka – Engagiert vor Ort!” (Deka – Making a local commitment) and “Restcent”. They widely incorporate employees of the Deka Group or are significantly supported by their efforts. With "Deka - Engagiert vor Ort!", DekaBank promotes the social engagement of its employees, as it often supports organisations, in which the employees themselves are involved. The appreciation for the volunteering staff expressed by DekaBank through its support also increases the loyalty and motivation of employees.
   
• Sports represents active social integration and genuine participation. That is why the The Savings Banks Finance Group, together with DekaBank, is committed not only to elite and competitive sports within the German Olympic Sports Confederation and the German Disabled Sports Association. As a national sponsor of the German Sports Badge and a major supporter of elite sports schools, it is also actively committed to grassroots and youth sports. DekaBank shares and promotes the values of sports as well as the Olympic and Paralympic ideals. The example of DekaBank’s support for a series of charity golf tournaments benefiting the German Cancer Aid Foundation (DKH) demonstrates how athletic engagement and social responsibility can be combined.
   
• The social commitment is rounded off by the Deka Art Collection and the Historical Archive, which shows the history of DekaBank and its predecessor institutes and places them in a general historical and social context. “Dekarium”, an interactive exhibition on Lyoner Strasse, provides members of the Savings Banks Finance Group and Deka Group employees with insights into the history of Deka and of the savings banks and fosters identification with the Savings Banks Finance Group.
   

 
Further information 

You can find further information on the addressed topics on the Deka Group’s website and/or in relevant documents.

Deka Group’s website:

Basic information in the Sustainability Report 2025

There is no information on this specific topic in the Sustainability Report 2025. 


Supplementary information 

In 2025, the Deka Group donated a total of 1,092,872.00  euros (2024: 520,165.00 euros). The largest single donation was made to the University of Münster to establish an AI lab in collaboration with the ERCIS research network.
 
In principle, the Deka Group makes donations to charitable institutions that are entitled to issue tax receipts for donations. Many of the longstanding partners receive the funding as a donation. Donations to political parties, political foundations, employers` associations or trade unions are prohibited in principle.
 
Donation enquiries to the Deka Group are processed by the CSR & Operational ESG Management Department and are recorded in the central donations register at DekaBank. The finance, compliance and tax departments can view the donations register at any time. The granting of donations by the Deka Group is governed by the “Donations management” regulation. The aim of the regulation, which was last updated in 2021, is to ensure transparency and safe handling of the granting of donations.