March Edition

Hello,

Welcome to the first edition of Top of Deutsche Bank, our monthly newsletter which delves into the latest developments, trends and ideas that are shaping the financial landscape. From transformative partnerships to industry insights, each issue will cover a mix of banking news and stories about our business, initiatives and more. And that includes showcasing our clients and our people. ?

The March edition of our newsletter focuses on how we are putting our ideas and expertise into practice for our clients. We supported the complex financing of a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis and TotalEnergies. The result – Automotive Cells Company (ACC) – aims to create a European car battery powerhouse. We also played a key role as a joint bookrunner in the IPO of Athens Airport – the biggest Greek IPO in more than 15 years. ?

We were grateful to be recognised for our corporate banking services, achieving 17 first place rankings in the Euromoney Trade Finance Survey. In terms of ESG, we have updated our Sustainable Finance Framework. And we highlight our colleague Maria Roventa from the Bucharest Technology Centre, who was the first Romanian woman to climb Annapurna in the Himalayas and will be making her second attempt to climb Mount Everest this year. ?

We hope you enjoy the newsletter!

Top business stories

17 first place positions in Euromoney Trade Finance Survey

Helping companies to sell their goods all over the world, get paid reliably for them and hedge their risks – trade finance is central to our works as a Global Hausbank. All the more important, then, to win recognition from clients, as reflected in the survey-based awards by the trade magazine Euromoney.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank our clients for their continued trust in our capabilities.”

Atul Jain and Oliver Resovac, Co-Heads of Trade Finance and Lending

We received 17 of Euromoney’s annual awards in various categories. These included three awards in our German home market and a total of seven in Europe. We also did well in the rest of the world with four first place positions in the Middle East, and six in Asia, including Japan, Malaysia and Thailand.?

Read the full article on db.com

Billions for batteries

We were proud to play a role in an important transaction that could change the landscape for electric vehicle production in Europe. Carmakers Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis have joined forces with TotalEnergies to form the Automotive Cells Company (ACC) to be at the forefront of electric drive systems. After securing project financing of 4.4 billion euros, the joint venture is planning to build three battery factories in Europe. We arranged the complex financing together with three other banks. This is much more than just a client success: With seamless cooperation across coverage and product teams in the Corporate Bank and Investment Bank, the deal is an excellent example for our global growth strategy in energy transition related Project Financings.?

Read the full article on?db.com.

Greece’s biggest IPO in decades spurs revival hopes

Though the markets for IPOs and M&A have been sluggish, there are some tentative signs of recovery. For instance, we are Senior Joint Bookrunner in the IPO of Athens Airport – the biggest Greek IPO in more than 15 years. This also demonstrates our leading position in European IPOs, having led 5 of the 8 largest IPOs in Western Europe in 2023 as Global Coordinators.

Top sustainability projects

ESG-linked supply chain finance for refrigeration specialist Epta

In the area of sustainable finance, we made further progress through our collaboration with refrigeration manufacturer Epta. We launched a programme to improve supply chain financing by incentivising Epta’s suppliers to improve their environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings, in return for more favourable financing terms. This initiative is in line with Epta's aim to promote sustainability throughout its supply chain, with an initial roll-out in Italy and global expansion planned.

Sustainability plays an increasingly important role for supply chains. By implementing ESG-linked solutions into their supply chain finance programmes we’re helping our clients to develop incentives for their suppliers.

Paolo Maestri, Head of Corporate Bank Italy

Sustainable Finance Framework updated

Our commitment to driving sustainable transformation is underlined by our facilitation of 279 billion euros in sustainable financing and ESG investments from 2020 to 2023. That is part of our ambitious target of 500 billion euros by 2025. Central to this effort is our newly updated Sustainable Finance Framework, which embodies our evolving standards and practices.?

Key enhancements include:?

• Expanded eligibility criteria based on insights from more than 2,500 transactions over the past four years.?
• Alignment with market best practice and the logic of the EU Taxonomy, ensuring relevance and consistency.?
• Increased transparency, giving stakeholders clear visibility of our sustainable finance activities.

Our updated Sustainable Finance Framework report is available here:

Top of the world

Someone who deals with challenges of a different kind is our colleague from the Bucharest tech centre, Maria Roventa. She also knows all about averting existential risks – quite literally. A keen mountaineer, Maria has climbed some of the world's highest peaks, including Mont Blanc, Elbrus, Kilimanjaro, Grossglockner, and Aconcagua. She was the first Romanian woman to climb Annapurna in the Himalayas.?

"Mount Everest and I have unfinished business."??

Maria's approach to mountaineering mirrors her approach to work, emphasising meticulous planning, risk management and composure in the face of unforeseen challenges – skills she'll rely on as she embarks on her second attempt to scale Mount Everest this year.?

Top payments

A few weeks ago, the European Council adopted rules to make instant payments in euros fully available 24/7. The regulation will allow people to transfer money within ten seconds at any time of the day, including outside business hours, anywhere in the EU. The European regulation will establish this instant payment system as the new norm in Europe within 18 months for all countries where the euro is the national currency, benefiting citizens, businesses and investors.?

Number of the Month: 24/7

Deutsche Bank can already process payments 24 hours a day in 16 markets worldwide and aims to reach 23 markets by year-end. In Europe, we currently offer SEPA instant payments in 5 countries and will expand to 9 within the 18-month timeframe to cover all eurozone countries in which we offer payment services.?

Stay tuned for more insights and stories in upcoming editions of Top of Deutsche Bank.

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