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The EU Green Bond Standard and the vdp standard
How can regional banks retain young customers?
How can banks strengthen their digital sales channels?
App usage is high – and in purely quantitative terms, digital log-ins have even increased customer contact. Yet it is clear that sales success through digital channels is still falling short of its potential.
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Articles on banking trends, regulatory innovations, digital transformation and economic dynamics in the financial industry
The EU Green Bond Standard and the vdp standard
Besides the GBP, two other standards have emerged in the EU and Germany respectively, which zeb believes will become relevant for the market: the EU Green Bond Standard and the vdp standard. We will delve into these in part 3 of our series.
How can regional banks retain young customers?
Roughly 15% of Germany’s population – over 12 million individuals – falls within the 14 to 27 age group. Why are young customers digitally savvy, but financially overwhelmed? In view of the migration of young customers, how is the role of the primary bank changing?
How can banks strengthen their digital sales channels?
In a world where, on average, people check their smartphones every twelve minutes, banks can no longer afford to ignore mobile-first offerings. Many regional banks responded early and now offer technically sophisticated online banking systems and powerful apps.
App usage is high – and in purely quantitative terms, digital log-ins have even increased customer contact. Yet it is clear that sales success through digital channels is still falling short of its potential.
AI in retail banking: closing the gap between ambition and adoption in DACH
What is the state of AI adoption in DACH? Where is AI already delivering value? What is holding banks back? What separates the leaders from the laggards? How can banks close the gap and where does zeb step in?
The stock rally continues, but the problems remain
zeb.market.flash #56, Q2 2026: Despite geopolitical tensions and a gloomy economic outlook, the stock markets rebounded significantly in the second quarter of 2026. At the same time, the world’s top banks are demonstrating solid financial performance and increased profitability in a market environment that remains volatile.
ICS fitness check – future-proofing your internal control system
A well-functioning and effective internal control system (ICS) is an integral part of a bank’s management of non-financial risks and contributes to a secure and properly organized business.
zeb.Corporate Banking Study 11.0: what do companies expect and what do (or should) banks offer them?
German small and medium-sized enterprises – the backbone of the German economy – are under pressure. In an economic situation characterized by high uncertainty and a lack of momentum, corporate insolvencies are constantly reaching new record levels.
Are digital twins the invisible game changers in the financial industry?
Digital twins combine real-time data, simulations and artificial intelligence to create virtual representations of processes, infrastructures or customer systems. But how exactly can digital twins be applied effectively in the financial industry?
The Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (MiCAR) represents a significant step forward in the regulation of the European crypto market, establishing for the first time clear and consistent rules for dealing with crypto assets and related services.
Provision of custody and administration of crypto assets on behalf of clients
This article is part 1 of the BankingHub topic glossary “A brief guide to digital asset services”. The glossary entries on digital assets explain how digital asset services work and how they are regulated.
Provision of transfer services for crypto assets on behalf of clients
This article is part 2 of the BankingHub topic glossary “A brief guide to digital asset services”. The glossary entries on digital assets explain how digital asset services work and how they are regulated.
Placement of crypto assets
This article is part 3 of the BankingHub topic glossary “A brief guide to digital asset services”. The glossary entries on digital assets explain how digital asset services work and how they are regulated.
Advisory services on and portfolio management of crypto assets
This article is part 4 of the BankingHub topic glossary “A brief guide to digital asset services”. The glossary entries on digital assets explain how digital asset services work and how they are regulated.
Transmission and execution of crypto asset orders on behalf of clients and exchange of crypto assets
This article is part 5 of the BankingHub topic glossary “A brief guide to digital asset services”. The glossary entries on digital assets explain how digital asset services work and how they are regulated.
Operation of a trading platform for crypto assets
This article is part 6 of the BankingHub topic glossary “A brief guide to digital asset services”. The glossary entries on digital assets explain how digital asset services work and how they are regulated.
Community and services
Insights and comments on the latest topics in banking
EU AML package: modern data repositories and AI for a new era of risk analysis
In this interview Rick A. Campbell, CEO / Executive Chairman of @GROUP, and Matt Winlaw, CEO of @ID and EDD Group (a division of @GROUP) describe their experiences in the US, the UK and Australia.
The platform economy marks a strategic shift in banking
In an interview with Michelle von Nathusius, Dominik Schütz, head of LBBW’s Innovation Lab, explains how banks should approach platform logic strategically. He discusses the opportunities it presents and why cooperation is key to success.
From games to gains: a new era of financial literacy for the digital generation
In this interview, Matthias Kröner, Managing Director of the Mogaland Academy, explains how Web3, AI and gamification can help financial institutions embed education, foster engagement and build trust.
What does the future hold for cash? Interview with Euronet
Following his appearance on the zeb.Sound of Finance podcast (in German), where he discussed the future role of cash supply and ATMs, Lars Walter, Head of Sales Banking at Euronet, provides further insights on this topic in our interview.
Agile leadership in times of change
The key lever for a successful modern organizations is agile leadership. What are the main challenges and what is their impact on leadership?
Alternative asset classes – investing beyond stocks and bonds
Overview of selected alternative asset classes, trends and implications for market participants.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics in the financial services sector
The term “artificial intelligence” refers to technologies that emulate and support human abilities in seeing, hearing, analyzing, deciding and acting.
Asset tokenization: the path towards securities 2.0
What exactly does tokenization mean and how can banks profit from it?
Change management in IT transformation projects – esoteric or indispensable?
What is Change management?
Digital assets – what is it all about? Definition and development of a market that will be worth billions
Which drivers will influence the market environment for digital assets in the future?
Digital euro – definition and benefits
The digital euro is coming. The digital euro’s design will determine how it is going to benefit citizens and banks.
End-to-end organization (E2E)
E2E processes encompass a ready-to-go service delivery concept that covers the entirety of customer needs – at least from their point of view.
ESG – What does ESG mean for the financial sector?
Sustainability is a megatrend that permeates all levels of social life. What impact do ESG (environmental, social and governance) criteria have on banks? – Challenges and opportunities for banks.
Intelligent process automation – what’s that? Definition and development
Intelligent process automation refers to the transformation of business processes that previously could not be automated, because they involved the processing of unstructured data, and therefore had to be performed manually.
Metaverse – What’s in it for financial institutions?
What is the metaverse? What are the use cases for financial institutions and what key factors need to be considered when establishing a presence?
MiCAR unveiled: our comprehensive guide to crypto asset regulation in the EU
An overview of the European Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation
Travel Rule for digital asset transfers
Digital asset transfers require compliance with the Travel Rule regulations!
What is asset management? Definition + trends
The term “asset management” refers to the financial service of managing assets by means of financial instruments with the aim of increasing the invested assets.
What is Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS)?
What is Banking-as-a-Service? Which banks and institutions may benefit from BaaS?
Various types of electronic securities and tokens that are issued using DLT systems
Crypto fund unit
A crypto fund unit is a share in investment funds or in individual share classes of an investment fund that is registered in a crypto securities register. The German Electronic Securities Act (Gesetz zur Einführung von elektronischen Wertpapieren, eWpG) also extends to electronic investment funds share certificates, which can thereby also be held in a central register.
Crypto security
Crypto securities are a new form of issuance for bearer bonds via a DLT-based crypto securities register.
Cryptocurrency
A cryptocurrency is a digital asset that enables cashless payments independent from any intermediaries or can be used for investment purposes.
Electronic stock
The German Financing for the Future Act (Zukunftsfinanzierungsgesetz, ZuFinG) enables the DLT-based issuance of electronic stocks.
Non-fungible token (NFT)
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are unique digital assets that can be issued and traded via DLT.
Security tokens
Security tokens are securities that represent a digital twin of an asset.
Components of the DLT infrastructure in our topic glossary
Crypto securities register
A crypto securities register is a register based on DLT technology for electronic securities as defined in the German Electronic Securities Act (Gesetz über elektronische Wertpapiere, eWpG). The Electronic Securities Act (eWpG) created a new financial service referred to as crypto securities registrar services.
Crypto wallets (wallets)
Wallets allow users to store and manage the cryptographic keys of tokens.
Decentralized application (dApp)
dApps are DLT-based software applications that make smart contracts usable through a GUI.
Decentralized finance
Decentralized finance describes decentralized systems that use software protocols to enable financial transactions between users without the involvement of financial intermediaries such as banks.
Distributed ledger technology: How does the DLT work?
Distributed ledger technology (or “DLT” for short) refers to a decentralized database that stores information in blocks that are distributed across a computer network.
Smart Contracts
Smart contracts are contracts implemented using DLT systems that automatically execute transactions when certain triggers occur, enabling digital transaction processing.
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