From Commerz- und Disconto-Bank to the present

Commerzbank was thus one of the first joint stock banks explicitly committed to financing German foreign trade – or, as stated in the founding statute, “whose purpose is to facilitate and promote trade by deploying significant financial resources.”

Mittelstandsbank from the very beginning

The SME business, which is still important to this day, also has its roots in the early phase of the Bank: Since Commerzbank was more of a Hamburg-based regional bank in its early decades, it developed special expertise in advising small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in particular because of its limited loan volume.

Growing to national importance

As a universal bank, Commerzbank quickly offered all major financial services: From short-term working capital loans for partnerships to bond issuances for large industrial customers and the public sector. Around 1900, Commerzbank established itself in the most important German financial center in Berlin. In the 1920s, it eventually grew into a major branch bank of national importance.

“Our history shows impressively that Commerzbank has an expertise in trade and SME financing that has grown over 155 years,” emphasised CEO Bettina Orlopp. “These business areas are firmly anchored in our DNA.”

Coming to terms with the past

One of the darkest chapters, on the other hand, has been the Bank’s role under National Socialism. During the Nazi era, Commerzbank’s business policy was primarily driven by business motives and not by ideology. However, the Bank’s managers also showed an increasing willingness to adapt to the new political conditions.

Today, the Bank clearly acknowledges its historical responsibility: “The dismissal of our former Jewish colleagues, the involvement in the Nazi regime’s expropriation of assets and the destruction of Jewish economic life in Germany – we continue to confront this historic legacy,” said Bettina Orlopp. “It is all the more important for our Bank today to demonstrate responsibility. And to work with a clear attitude for a culture of cosmopolitanism, tolerance and respect. These are the pillars of our democracy.”

Lessons for the present

In consequence, Commerzbank is now firmly at the side of its employees, its customers and its investors. Looking back to the past helps us to recognise in the currently challenging time: Perhaps the greatest strength of the German economy has always been its ability to adapt to the requirements of the global market. Historically, deep economic crises or setbacks to the global economy have always led to more globalisation, albeit sometimes delayed. Germany’s export-oriented economy, which is entrenched in the country’s history, represents a major advantage for Commerzbank. And that is because trade finance solutions are always in demand in a globalised economy.