Banks collaborating to promote regional unity and social harmony by the year 2024
In a significant move, German cooperative banks have bolstered their voluntary financial contributions, with a reported increase of 176 million euros in the business year 2024. This rise represents a 5% increase compared to the previous year, according to the latest reports from the Bundesverband der Deutschen Volksbanken und Raiffeisenbanken (BVR).
The BVR, the federation representing German cooperative banks, has been a driving force in promoting the sector's commitment to regionality, social cohesion, and sustainability. The President of the BVR, Marija Kolak, has led these efforts, emphasising the cooperative banks' focus on more togetherness as part of their inherent cooperative self-understanding, rather than a passing trend.
In a survey conducted among all member institutions of the BVR in spring 2025, 130 banks of various sizes participated. The results revealed that the banks' special commitment is driven by regionality, social cohesion, customer proximity, sustainability, and supporting children and young people, the elderly, and families/communities.
The main recipients of these banks' diverse promotions are clubs and initiatives, schools, and kindergartens. The BVR's press contact, Melanie Schmergal, Head of Communications and Public Relations/Press Spokesperson, has confirmed that press graphics for the engagement figures 2024 are available in the image database of the press area of www.bvr.de.
The United Nations has recognised the value-based contribution of the cooperative form of enterprise with the International Year of Cooperatives 2025. This recognition underscores the importance of the sector's role in promoting regional development, social cohesion, and sustainability.
While the exact engagement projects focused on regionality, social cohesion, and sustainability for 2024 have not been explicitly detailed, some contextual inferences can be made. For instance, cooperative banks like Volksbank eG Bad Laer-Borgloh-Hilter-Melle continue to emphasise the development of the local economy and support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which inherently promotes regional economic strength and social cohesion.
The BVR has announced that a detailed report on the societal engagement of the cooperative financial group will be released in late summer, with the extrapolated numbers serving as its basis. This report is expected to provide a comprehensive overview of the engagement projects undertaken by the cooperative banks in 2024, offering insights into their financial contributions and ongoing initiatives in community development, environmental sustainability programs, educational initiatives, and social welfare support.
For more information, interested parties can visit the engagement portal www.vielefuerviele.de, where all numbers, more details, films, features, and insights are provided throughout the year. This portal also hosts the engagement figures and motives determined from the survey, providing an invaluable resource for understanding the cooperative banks' commitment to their communities.
In conclusion, while specific 2024 figures on increased voluntary contributions and detailed engagement projects have not been explicitly detailed, the continued focus of German cooperative banks on regionality, social cohesion, and sustainability suggests a significant and ongoing commitment to these values. For a more detailed understanding of the cooperative banks' engagement in 2024, official publications from the BVR or individual cooperative banks’ annual sustainability or social responsibility reports would be the best sources.
The BVR, in its efforts to promote the cooperative banks' focus on regionality, social cohesion, and sustainability, has reported an increase of 176 million euros in voluntary financial contributions from German cooperative banks in the business year 2024. This rise, a 5% increase compared to the previous year, is reflective of the banks' continued commitment to supporting clubs, initiatives, schools, and kindergartens within the finance and business sector, including banking-and-insurance.
The detailed report on the societal engagement of the cooperative financial group, expected to be released by the BVR in late summer, is anticipated to offer insights into the ongoing initiatives and financial contributions of cooperative banks in business activities such as industry, customer proximity, sustainability, and social welfare support.
