Steyler Ethik Bank

What Steyler Ethik Bank does

Steyler Ethik Bank (legal entity: Steyler Bank GmbH) is a private German limited liability company founded in 1964 by the Steyler Missionaries (Societas Verbi Divini, SVD) as Germany's first sustainable and ethical bank. Headquartered in Sankt Augustin, the bank operates a full retail, savings, credit, and investment banking franchise under the Fair4 product brand, serving retail customers (primary), private-banking clients, institutional investors, and charitable organizations/donors in the German market. The core product suite comprises Fair4 Girokonto current accounts (standard, youth, basic), seven savings vehicles (Steyler Festgeld, Umwelt-Sparbrief, Tagesgeld, Fondssparen, Bausparen, Missionssparen, Schatzbrief), credit products (Baufinanzierung, Privatkredit), and the four-strategy Steyler Fair Invest fund family (Balance, Dynamik, Stabilität, Global Equities). Partner distribution extends the offering with Schwäbisch Hall building-savings, Union Investment funds, and R&V insurance products.

The bank is governed by an Ethics Committee and Ethics Investment Council that screen all investments against strict social and ecological criteria (excluding weapons, child labor, environmental destruction), with external fund management delivered by Monega as KVG and Praemium Capital as fund advisor. Technology infrastructure consists of a standard online banking portal, the SecureGo Plus authentication app, VR-Banking-App and My Banking App mobile access, video legitimization for remote onboarding, Apple Pay for virtual cards, and Adobe Connect-based advisory video consultation. The bank is supervised by BaFin, is PSD2-compliant, holds Einlagensicherungsfonds membership, and carries the three-star FNG Nachhaltigkeitssiegel and UN PRI signatory status. Revenue is generated through recurring account and AUM-based fees (banking services and investment products), transaction-based credit income, and affiliate referral income from partner products. The cumulative social impact — over 110 million euros directed to worldwide aid projects via the SVD's 80-country network — is a central brand and customer-acquisition asset rather than a revenue line.

Name

Steyler Ethik Bank

Legal name

Steyler Bank GmbH

Website

https://steyler-bank.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Steyler Ethik Bank is Germany's first sustainable and ethical bank (est. 1964), offering retail banking, ethical investment funds, mortgages, and private banking to mission-aligned German consumers, HNW clients, institutional investors, and charitable donors under the Fair4 brand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ethical and Sustainable Retail Banking

NAICS

Depository Credit Intermediation (5221), Open-End Investment Funds (52591)

SIC

Savings Institutions, Not Federally Chartered (6036), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Green/Ethical/Sustainable Neobanks (FSABAFAI)

Keywords

• Ethical banking services
• Sustainable investment funds
• Retail banking products
• Private wealth management
• Charitable giving services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sankt Augustin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Banking Services: Revenue from giro account fees, credit/debit card services, and transaction fees from the Fair4 Girokonto and related account services.
2. Investment Products: Revenue from managing and distributing investment products including Steyler Festgeld, Umwelt-Sparbrief, Tagesgeld, Fondssparen, Bausparen, Missionssparen, and Steyler Fair Invest funds (Equities, Bonds, Balanced, Global Equities).
3. Credit Services: Revenue from Baufinanzierung (mortgage financing), Privatkredit (personal loans), and related insurance products through partners.
4. Partner Products: Revenue sharing from partner products including Schwäbisch Hall (building society), Union Investment (funds), and R&V Versicherung (insurance).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Steyler Ethik Bank provides retail and ethical banking services in Germany under the Fair4 brand, including current accounts (Fair4 Girokonto, Fair4-young, Fair4 Basiskonto), savings and term deposit products, the Steyler Fair Invest fund family, mortgage and personal loan financing, Private Banking wealth advisory, and charitable giving/foundation products. All offerings are screened against strict social and ecological criteria (excluding weapons, child labor, environmental destruction) and channel customer funds into over 100 million euros of aid projects worldwide.

Product overview

Steyler Ethik Bank is Germany's first ethical and sustainable bank, founded in 1964 as an institution of the Steyler Missionaries. The bank offers a comprehensive suite of banking products organized under the 'Fair4' brand umbrella. Core offerings include: Fair4 Girokonto (current accounts for adults, young customers, and basic account holders), savings products (Steyler Festgeld, Umwelt-Sparbrief, Tagesgeld, Fondssparen, Bausparen, Missionssparen, and Schatzbrief), credit solutions (Baufinanzierung and Privatkredit), and investment services (Online-Brokerage and Private Banking). The proprietary Steyler Fair Invest fund family includes four strategies: Stabilität (defensive), Balance (balanced), Dynamik (growth), and Global Equities (international stocks). Digital banking is supported via SecureGo Plus authentication app, VR-Banking-App integration, Apple Pay support, and video legitimization. The bank also offers charitable giving through Fair4 Hilfsprojekt and Stiftungsfonds, and educational webinars on sustainability topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fair4: Brand for banking products including Fair4 Girokonto, Fair4-young Girokonto, and Fair4 Basiskonto
• Steyler Fair Invest

Products and services

• Fair4 Girokonto

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 million euros in direct aid to charitable projects worldwide
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ethos ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnership with Swiss company Ethos (affiliated with Ethos Foundation representing 250+ Swiss pension funds) for systematic exercise of voting rights at shareholder meetings. Ethos provides analysis and recommendations for voting rights utilization across Steyler Fair Invest funds.
• MonegacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonega Kapitalverwaltungsgesellschaft (Cologne-based KVG) serves as the fund management company for all Steyler Fair Invest funds including the new Global Equities fund launched December 2025.
• Praemium CapitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPraemium Capital serves as fund advisor for Steyler Fair Invest funds (Equities, Bonds, Balanced). They provide the investment strategy and sustainability concept for the fund portfolio.
• KfW (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSteyler Ethik Bank is in dialogue with KfW regarding Geothermie projects in Flores, Indonesia that KfW partially finances. The bank engages in dialogue processes regarding sustainable financing.
• Schwäbisch HallminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBuilding society partnership for Bausparen (building savings) products. Customers can access Schwäbisch Hall products and process cancellations/reservations through Steyler Bank.
• Union InvestmentminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFund investment partner providing access to Union Investment funds. Contract cancellations processed through the bank's platform.
• R&V VersicherungminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInsurance partner for R&V Versicherung products. Online cancellation services available through the bank's platform.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• EthikBank: German ethical bank (formerly EKO Bank) offering retail accounts, savings and funds screened against social and ecological criteria. Directly comparable mission and product set, with a similar single-country focus.
• KD-Bank (Bank für Kirche und Diakonie): German bank for Protestant churches and Diakonie welfare organizations, providing ethical banking and sustainable investment services. Comparable values-driven positioning and church-affiliated institutional client base.
• Umweltbank: German environmental and ethical bank listed on the m:access, providing retail accounts, sustainable mortgages and environmental investment funds. Comparable niche positioning and German retail customer base.
• Triodos Bank: Dutch-headquartered ethical bank with a German branch, offering sustainable current accounts, savings, mortgages and impact funds across Europe. Comparable ethical-screening methodology and ESG-mandated institutional client focus.
• Bank für Kirche und Caritas: Catholic-affiliated German bank serving church, Caritas and charitable organizations. Comparable faith-based sponsorship structure and values-aligned customer base, including foundations and Stiftungsfonds-type products.
• GLS Bank: Germany's largest ethical/green bank, also operating as a cooperative and offering full retail, mortgage and investment products with social/ecological screening. Direct competitor for the same values-aligned German retail and institutional customers Steyler serves.
• Pax-Bank: Catholic church-affiliated German bank serving church, Caritas and faith-based institutional clients with ethical investment mandates. Closest peer by governance affiliation (Catholic religious order) and values-based customer segments.

Regional players

• Vancity: Canadian values-based credit union operating a full retail, wealth and commercial banking platform with community-impact screening. Provides a useful international benchmark for values-driven banking at scale, though operating in a different geography.

Emerging players

• Tomorrow Bank: Germany-based sustainable neobank offering current accounts, banking-as-a-service and climate-positive investment products. Comparable ethical positioning but with a faster-moving digital-first delivery model targeting younger values-aligned customers.

Broad incumbents

• DKB (Deutsche Kreditbank): Large German direct/digital bank increasingly emphasizing sustainable products and ESG funds. Overlaps with Steyler's digital banking motion and ESG investment offerings, but operates at significantly larger scale as a broader incumbent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SteylerBank
• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/steyler-bank-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/steylerethikbank
• Xx.com/steylerbank

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Steyler Ethik Bank