April Edition

Greetings from Frankfurt,? ?

In this edition of Top of Deutsche Bank, we’d like to share some stories from around our Global Hausbank with you – along with some of our initiatives and some pieces about and by our people.?

First up is news of our latest partnership with lemon.markets, a Berlin-based fintech that aims at revolutionising investment services with its brokerage-as-a-service platform. Our Corporate Bank processes the payment transactions between lemon.markets and its end users and holds their deposits. Meanwhile our Private Bank received 15 awards at this year’s Euromoney Global Private Banking Awards. In the ESG space, we report on a green loan for Pepperl+Fuchs, a German industrial sensor manufacturer, to help it establish a sustainable manufacturing facility in Vietnam. Staying with sustainability, one of our top people in thought leadership, Markus Müller, addresses system change and how we need to live and do business in harmony with the three pillars of life: land, atmosphere and ocean. We also introduce you to someone from Deutsche Bank who is a top performer in and out of water, followed by some insights into CSR activities as part of Global Money Week. Finally, we have a piece for you about Bitcoin and why prices are currently so high.?

Happy reading and let us know in the comments what you think!?

Top business stories?

New partnership with lemon.markets fintech?

Berlin-based fintech lemon.markets is out to shake up the investment scene with its brokerage-as-a-service platform, catering to both financial service providers and fintechs. The modular platform for the efficient processing of securities transactions offers a maximum of flexibility and scalability. This enables other financial services and fintechs to offer investment products quickly and cost effectively.?

“lemon.markets immediately convinced us with their brokerage-as-a-service platform and deep understanding of the market and its customer needs. We ensure seamless and automated payment processing. Leveraging our global reach, we can support lemon.markets in scaling, increasing transaction volumes, and handling foreign currency payments.”? ?

Kilian Thalhammer, Global Head of Merchant Solutions?

Deutsche Bank processes the payment transactions between lemon.markets and its end users and holds their deposits. This partnership is an excellent example of our Corporate Bank’s expertise in tech and fintech coverage and shows how we support innovative business models in their early stages.?

Euromoney Global Private Banking Awards – a record 15 wins?

We are very proud that our Private Bank won a record 15 awards at the Euromoney Global Private Banking Awards 2024, including the World's Best for Entrepreneurs, World's Best for UItra High Net Worths (UHNW) and World’s Best for Transformation.? ?

Winning so many of these awards supports our vision of being the world’s leading European-based Private Bank. This is a significant achievement as part of our Global Hausbank ambitions. ? ?

In addition to the three global private banking titles, we won many individual awards for our private banking business in Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain and Switzerland – a reflection of our leadership role as a European champion. ?

Read the full article on db.com ?

Top sustainability projects? ?

Empowering Pepperl+Fuchs to boost eco-conscious manufacturing in Vietnam ? ?

Pepperl+Fuchs Group , a renowned name in industrial sensor manufacturing, is setting high ESG standards with its new factory in Vietnam. And we are proud to be part of their sustainability journey with a 15 million US dollar green loan to finance it.??

The factory in Ho Chi Minh City is designed to minimize its environmental footprint and stands as a role model for eco-conscious manufacturing in the APAC region.?

“As companies are expanding their operations in Asia, they need to ensure that these investments are in line with their global ESG targets.”???

Kamran Khan, our Head of ESG for APAC and MEA?

From using renewable energy to implementing waste reduction strategies to prioritising employee well-being, the factory's design is geared towards sustainability. A role model for eco-conscious manufacturing in the APAC region, the German industrial sensor manufacturer's environmental impact extends beyond its factory walls. Its electronic sensors are supporting change elsewhere, from optimising waste management in the South German city of Freiburg to safeguarding against flooding in vulnerable communities worldwide. ??

Top of thought leadership??

Markus H.-P. Müller , Chief Investment Officer ESG & Global Head of Chief Investment Office Private Bank, looks at what system change means in the context of sustaining planetary resources.?

System change means learning to do things differently?

Humans have four basic demands: energy, food, manufacturing and mobility. Our economies have evolved to help us meet these four demands. But, despite infinite human ingenuity, we ultimately rely on the planet’s natural resources.?

As humans have moved away from nature, they have lost sight of the importance of these natural resources. Complex economic value chains have obscured the value of these resources and producers as well as consumers have faced incentives to overuse them. Because of this there has been a dangerous depletion of natural resources across our three life pillars of land , ocean and atmosphere . As a result we are now pushing up against multiple planetary boundaries – the thresholds beyond which humans probably cannot thrive on a sustainable basis.

System change means learning to do things differently so we can preserve these natural resources and keep ourselves alive. In our 21st century societies, based our information flows, we should be in a good position to do this, allowing policymakers and investors to assess efficiencies, risks and opportunities.???

Renewable energy is a good example of one system change where the world has made significant progress. Renewable energy sources already allow economies to meet growing energy demands while holding down C02 emissions. The success of renewable energy shows that system change can (and must) be achieved without tearing up the fabric of an established system. Changes have to be generated and accepted within the system, not simply imposed upon it.??

I believe that system change can also be achieved across humans’ other basic demands of food, manufacturing and mobility. As energy shows, system change does not mean putting a stop to the human quest for growth and prosperity. Societies and individuals just need to find different routes to fulfilling lives.??

Markus’s Talking Transformation newsletter can be found here .

Top performer in and out of water?

A team so good, they made a movie about it?

As a youth, Trevor Freeland was part of the record-breaking Black Championship swim team led by legendary Coach Jim Ellis. Trevor, who works with Deutsche Bank's institutional clients, was the first Black Associate to join the bank in 1995. Long before he joined the bank, he was a pioneer for anti-discrimination in the swim team that was formed shortly after the abolition of segregation in America and helped break stereotypes at the time. This story is so inspiring that it was made into a Hollywood film.

Top CSR activities?

Protect your money, secure your future?

In March, we celebrated Global Money Week, an annual global awareness campaign to inspire young people to learn about money from an early age. This year’s theme “Protect your money, secure your future” focused on safe money management and highlighted the importance of adopting a responsible and informed approach to personal finances.???

At Deutsche Bank, financial education is very close to our heart. Hundreds of colleagues commit their time and expertise to support nearly 20 initiatives worldwide that improve financial literacy and inclusion. It is a perfect opportunity, not only during Global Money Week, to recognise their commitment, to showcase some of the activities and to say thank you!???

Here are some great projects we support across the world:?Here are some great projects we support across the world:?

Germany: our project “So geht Geld” offers 90-minute teaching units on financial topics. Since 2021, employees have reached more than 70,000 young people, sharing information about accounts, saving and investment options.??

USA: we enabled the launch of a cloud-based mobile app that supports students to prepare for the W!se Financial Literacy Certification Test. The programme is offered in 49 states and helps students graduate as financially capable young adults.??

UK: the Pathways to Banking and Finance programme helps bright students from low-income backgrounds to explore a career in the finance industry.??

India: together with the charity partner Plan India, we have provided 7,500 young people from urban low-income families with job-led vocational training, including financial literacy.?

Top bite to wrap up? ?

5 reasons why Bitcoin prices are high and may stay high?

Bitcoin recently hit a remarkable all-time high of 73,157 US dollars. The approval of the spot Bitcoin ETF, expectations of future ETF approvals, the upcoming Bitcoin halving (expected April 19), impending central bank rate cuts, and regulation were all factors in this meteoric price rise.??

In a new report, our Deutsche Bank Research colleagues look at each of these factors in more detail and explain why, despite the price of Bitcoin slightly pulling back recently, they still believe it will remain relatively high in the medium term.?

5 reasons in summary:?

1?? US Spot Bitcoin ETF approval: demand for the new US spot Bitcoin ETFs has led to recent increases in Bitcoin prices. Since the SEC gave the green light in January, 12 billion US dollars have flowed into these Bitcoin ETFs.?

2?? More ETF approvals expected: with seven Ethereum spot ETFs pending and ProShares planning five more, institutional involvement is boosting crypto's legitimacy.?

3?? Bitcoin halving: expected for April 19, the halving event, which halves new bitcoin rewards to miners every four years, historically precedes price spikes.?

4?? Impending central bank rate cuts: as G7 economies shift to a more accommodative stance, capital flows into alternative assets such as cryptocurrencies are expected to increase.?

5?? Regulatory developments: the EU's Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation, which will be implemented by 2024, promises clearer rules that will drive business adoption and reduce volatility.?

Read the one-page summary of their report here . ?

Stay tuned for more insights and stories in upcoming editions.??

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