Sueddeutsche Krankenversicherung

What Sueddeutsche Krankenversicherung does

Sueddeutsche Krankenversicherung (SDK) is a German private health insurer founded in 1926 and headquartered in Fellbach, organized as a Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit (mutual insurance association) supervised by BaFin under the German Insurance Supervisory Act. Its product portfolio centers on full-coverage private health insurance (PKV) built around a flexible modular (Baukasten) tariff system, supplemented by modular add-ons—dental, hospital, outpatient, daily sickness allowance, nursing care, and foreign travel supplementary cover—plus accident insurance. Under the SDK NEVA sub-brand, distributed in cooperation with Neodigital Versicherung AG as risk carrier, SDK also sells digital-only private liability and electronics insurance online at very low monthly price points (from €2.09 and €4.82 respectively). Revenue is generated through recurring subscription-style insurance premiums; the company reports approximately €1 billion in annual premium income and serves over 682,000 policyholders, and is the only provider to hold Franke & Bornberg's FFF+ rating across all six supplementary insurance categories.

The technical footprint is a conventional insurance-services stack: the SDK App (rated among Germany's best insurance apps by F.A.Z. Institut), the Kundenportal for self-service document submission and policy management, a digital mailbox, plus a broker portal (makler.sdk.de) and a dedicated GENO cooperative-bank portal (geno.sdk.de). No public APIs, AI/ML capabilities, or proprietary model infrastructure are disclosed. Distribution is multi-channel: own external field sales (Außendienst) targeting Ärzte, Zahnärzte, Beamte, and other high-value professional segments; an inside-sales contact center with multiple specialized hotlines; a FirmenKompetenzCenter for employer-sponsored corporate health insurance (bKV) targeting firms with 100+ employees via the gesundwerker.sdk.de platform; and digital self-service for low-ticket supplementary products. Strategic partnerships include Clue (the first insurance-covered period/menstrual cycle tracker, May 2026) and medicalmotion (digital pain therapy), and the firm completed a Gleichordnungskonzern merger with Stuttgarter Lebensversicherung in July 2025—uniting SDK Leben and SDK Allgemeine with Stuttgarter under a shared ~1,600-employee base.

Name

Sueddeutsche Krankenversicherung

Legal name

Süddeutsche Krankenversicherung a. G.

Website

https://sdk.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Sueddeutsche Krankenversicherung is a German mutual private health insurer (Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit, founded 1926, Fellbach) providing modular PKV and supplementary insurance—dental, hospital, outpatient, nursing care, travel, and accident—to roughly 682,000 members, with ~€1 billion in annual premium income.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fellbach

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Private Health Insurance Premiums: SDK generates revenue primarily through private health insurance (PKV) premiums paid by policyholders. As a Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit (mutual insurance association), policyholders are simultaneously members, aligning interests. Premium revenue is approximately 1 billion EUR annually.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Sueddeutsche Krankenversicherung (SDK) is a German mutual health insurer (Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit) that provides private health insurance (PKV) and supplementary health, accident, liability, and electronic-device coverage to roughly 682,000 policyholders. The company distributes its modular Baukasten tariffs via direct field sales, insurance brokers, cooperative banks, the SDK App, the customer portal, and the SDK NEVA online platform.

Product overview

Süddeutsche Krankenversicherung (SDK) is a mutual health insurance provider (Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit) founded in 1926, headquartered in Fellbach, Germany. The company operates as a multi-product insurance group offering private health insurance (PKV) as its core product alongside supplementary insurance products including dental, hospital, outpatient, daily sickness allowance, nursing care, and foreign travel coverage. SDK provides these through its main brand, while its SDK NEVA sub-brand (in cooperation with Neodigital Versicherung AG) offers property and casualty insurance including private liability and electronics coverage. Digital services include the SDK App and Kundenportal customer portal. SDK serves approximately 682,000 insured members with €1 billion in premium income. The company recently partnered with Clue to offer the first insurance-covered menstrual cycle tracking app globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SDK NEVA: Digital insurance brand offering bicycle, electronics, and liability insurance products. Operates in cooperation with Neodigital Versicherung AG.
• SDK Gesundwerker
• mhplus Kooperation

Products and services

• Private Krankenversicherung (PKV) Full private health insurance coverage for employees, self-employed professionals, civil servants, doctors, and dentists, with modular Baukasten tariffs (Classic, Optimal, Premium) including an option tariff and senior cost-brake feature.
• Zahnzusatzversicherung Supplementary dental insurance covering dental prostheses, implants, prophylaxis, orthodontics, and major dental services, with tariffs rated FFF+ (very good).
• Krankenhauszusatzversicherung Supplementary hospital insurance providing choice of senior physician, single or double room, and hospital daily sickness allowance, with tariffs rated FFF+.
• Ambulante Zusatzversicherung Supplementary outpatient insurance covering alternative practitioners, naturopathy, visual aids, psychotherapy, travel vaccinations, and out-patient surgery, with tariffs rated FFF+.
• Auslandskrankenversicherung Supplementary foreign-travel health insurance covering medically necessary outpatient and inpatient treatment abroad for short trips and longer stays.
• Krankentagegeldversicherung Daily sickness allowance insurance that replaces income for employees and self-employed professionals during periods of certified illness.
• Pflegezusatzversicherung Supplementary long-term nursing care insurance providing additional benefits beyond statutory long-term care insurance for in-home and inpatient care.
• Unfallversicherung Accident insurance providing lump-sum payments and ongoing benefits following accidents, with proportional premium refunds at claim-free policy anniversaries.
• SDK NEVA Privathaftpflichtversicherung
• SDK NEVA Elektronikversicherung
• Betriebliche Krankenversicherung (bKV)

Quantifiable outcome

• Premium stability maintained since 1972
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CluecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2026SDK partnered with Clue (a women-led period and menstrual cycle tracking app) to become the first insurance-covered period and menstrual cycle tracker globally. SDK's approximately 680,000 fully insured members and ~1,600 employees gain access to Clue Plus at no extra cost. This partnership is part of SDK's broader digital health services strategy, aligning with global debates over menstrual leave policies and women's health gaps in healthcare.
• mhplus (Statutory Health Insurance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSDK offers supplementary insurance products exclusively for mhplus statutory health fund members at preferential rates. mhplus is a gesetzliche Krankenkasse (statutory health insurance). The partnership allows mhplus members to access SDK's dental, outpatient, hospital, and travel supplementary insurance at discounted rates without additional health checks.
• Neodigital Versicherung AGcoreTechnology or IntegrationSDK NEVA (a brand of SDK) offers property and casualty insurance products (private liability, electronics, bicycle insurance) in cooperation with Neodigital Versicherung AG. Neodigital serves as the risk carrier (Risikoträger) and policy counterparty for these supplementary insurance products. SDK handles distribution and service while Neodigital manages the insurance risk and contracts.
• VfB StuttgartminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSDK sponsors VfB Stuttgart football club as a marketing partnership for brand visibility and community engagement in the Stuttgart region.
• Fellbach FlashersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSDK sponsors local sports club Fellbach Flashers as part of its regional community engagement and marketing strategy.
• Darja VarfolomeevminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSDK partners with judo world champion Darja Varfolomeev as a brand ambassador, leveraging her athletic profile for brand association and visibility.
• medicalmotion GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSDK partnered with medicalmotion GmbH to offer digital pain therapy through the medicalmotion app as part of SDK's digital health services offering.
• Stuttgarter Lebensversicherung a.G.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSDK merged with Stuttgarter to form a gleichgeordneter Konzern (equal-footing group/concern). The merger combines two mutual insurers to strengthen their market position. SDK employees (approximately 1,600) are shared with Stuttgarter, and both companies now operate under a joint management structure.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Allianz Private Krankenversicherung AG: PKV arm of Allianz SE, one of Germany's largest insurers. Directly competes in PKV and supplementary insurance but with the scale, capital, and distribution of a global financial group — a structural incumbency advantage over mutual mid-tier players like SDK.
• DKV (Deutsche Krankenversicherung): One of Germany's largest private health insurers, part of ERGO Group (Munich Re). Directly overlaps with SDK in PKV core product and supplementary insurance but operates at substantially larger scale with broader group backing and international ties.
• AXA Krankenversicherung AG: German PKV subsidiary of AXA Group, one of the major private health insurers in Germany. Comparable product portfolio to SDK but with global group backing, broader product set, and stronger brand reach in mass-market segments.

Direct peers

• Barmenia Krankenversicherung a.G. Mid-sized German mutual private health insurer with a similar product mix (PKV plus supplementary insurance) and comparable customer segments (employees, self-employed, civil servants). Comparable to SDK in scale tier and mutual governance.
• Debeka Krankenversicherungsverein a.G. Germany's largest mutual private health insurer (Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit) with multibillion-EUR premium income. Closest comparable to SDK in mutual structure, PKV focus, and member-aligned economics; however Debeka is materially larger in scale and policyholder base.
• Gothaer Krankenversicherung AG: Mid-sized German mutual insurance group offering PKV and supplementary insurance through broker and direct channels. Comparable to SDK in mid-market positioning, broker-centric distribution, and product mix.
• Continentale Krankenversicherung a.G. German mutual insurance group offering PKV alongside life and P&C. Closely comparable to SDK in mutual structure, mid-tier premium volume (~$1B range), and supplementary insurance product depth.
• HanseMerkur Krankenversicherung AG: German private health insurer with focus on supplementary insurance and PKV, headquartered in Hamburg. Comparable to SDK in product breadth (supplementary plus full coverage) and broker/agent distribution; comparable mid-market scale.
• Signal Iduna Krankenversicherung: German mutual insurance group offering PKV alongside life and P&C. Directly comparable to SDK in mutual PKV positioning, supplementary product breadth, and broker-led distribution in the German market.

Others

• Neodigital Versicherung AG: Digital-native German insurer that serves as the risk carrier for SDK's SDK NEVA P&C sub-brand (liability, electronics, bicycle). Strategic partner rather than competitor, but operates in adjacent digital insurance distribution with comparable retail-broker positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SDK.SueddeutscheKrankenversicherung
• LinkedInLinkedIn.com/company/sdk-sueddeutsche-krankenversicherung
• Instagraminstagram.com/sdk_krankenversicherung

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sueddeutsche Krankenversicherung