Franke Bornberg

What Franke Bornberg does

Franke und Bornberg GmbH is an owner-managed, independent insurance rating agency headquartered in Hannover, Germany, founded in 1994 by Michael Franke and Katrin Bornberg as the first firm to conduct methodologically sound insurance product ratings in the German-speaking region. The company evaluates over 12,000 insurance tariff rates and more than 250 insurance companies annually across seven lines of business — retirement provision, occupational disability, survivor protection, composite property, health, long-term care, and commercial insurance — using a proprietary four-dimension methodology covering conditions, stability, contributions, and sustainability. Core product families include Produktratings, BU-Unternehmensrating and the newer GF-Unternehmensrating (corporate assessments of insurer professionalism in occupational disability and basic-capabilities claims handling), the map-report subscription series (founded 1990 and acquired by F&B in 2019) which includes the BU-Stabilitätsrating, and the BU-Leistungspraxisstudie annual claims-practice study that covered over 60% of the German BU market in its 2026 edition.

The firm operates a subscription-recurring and rating-fee based revenue model, distributing map-report and annual studies via direct B2B sales and through co-organized industry events such as the Deutscher Versicherungs-Award (with n-tv and DISQ since 2018) and the Nachhaltigkeits-Award (renamed from ESG-Award in 2025). Customer segments are primarily B2B: insurers seek independent product and corporate ratings for market signaling, intermediaries and financial advisors use the ratings as advisory inputs, business media (ntv, Focus Money, Handelsblatt) cite the data in coverage, and end consumers access ratings indirectly through media. The firm's regulatory footprint includes direct influence on the VVG Reform 2008 and current compliance with EU Regulation 2024/3005 ESG rating requirements. F&B is a founder-controlled German Mittelstand company without external institutional investment, subsidiaries, or parent company.

Technically, the business is a content-and-analytics franchise rather than a software platform: there is no public API, SDK, app, or disclosed AI/ML model, and integration channels are not documented. Distribution relies on direct sales, earned media partnerships, the firm's own events (DKM Kongress Arbeitskraftabsicherung, AKS>tomorrow roadshow, Deutscher Versicherungs-Award), and a multi-channel content presence including the drei F+ podcast and active social profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, Xing, and YouTube.

Name

Franke Bornberg

Legal name

Franke und Bornberg GmbH

Website

https://franke-bornberg.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Franke und Bornberg is an independent German insurance rating agency founded in 1994, evaluating 12,000+ tariffs and 250+ insurers annually across seven lines of business via a four-dimension methodology, serving insurers, intermediaries, and media with subscription-based ratings, the map-report, and BU claims-practice studies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hanover

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product and Corporate Ratings: Franke und Bornberg conducts independent ratings of insurance products and companies, evaluating over 12,000 rates annually and more than 250 insurance companies across seven lines of business including retirement provision, occupational disability, survivor protection, composite, health, nursing care, and commercial insurance.
2. map-report Subscriptions: One of the oldest independent publication series for insurance analysis, founded in 1990 and part of Franke und Bornberg since 2019. Evaluates balance sheet figures, stability and corporate ratings. Sold as subscription to subscribers.
3. Studies and Reports: Annual publication of seven own studies and reports, including the BU-Leistungspraxisstudie (occupational disability claims practice study) and sustainability reports. Revenue generated through sales of these publications.
4. Sustainability Ratings and Score: Franke und Bornberg conducts sustainability ratings for insurance companies, including a Nachhaltigkeits-Score and Nachhaltigkeits-Unternehmensrating, evaluating environmental, social and governance criteria.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Franke und Bornberg is an independent rating agency that evaluates insurance products and insurance companies in the German-speaking market. It assesses more than 12,000 tariffs and over 250 insurers annually across seven lines of business (retirement provision, occupational disability, survivor protection, composite, health, long-term care, and commercial insurance) along four dimensions: conditions, stability, contributions, and sustainability. Core deliverables include product ratings, corporate ratings, the map-report analysis series, the BU-Leistungspraxisstudie, and sustainability/ESG assessments, sold primarily to insurers, intermediaries, financial distributors, and business media.

Product overview

Franke und Bornberg is an owner-managed, independent rating agency headquartered in Hannover, Germany, founded in 1994 as a pioneer of insurance product ratings in the German-speaking world. The company operates as a portfolio of rating products and industry publications, not a unified software platform. Core offerings include: (1) Produktratings — evaluating over 12,000 insurance tariffs annually across seven categories (retirement, occupational disability, survivor protection, property, health, long-term care, commercial insurance) in four dimensions: conditions, stability, contributions, and sustainability; (2) Unternehmensratings — BU-Unternehmensrating and GF-Unternehmensrating examining insurance company professionalism, customer orientation, and business stability; (3) map-report — an independent insurance analysis publication series founded in 1990 and acquired in 2019, containing BU-Stabilitätsrating and comprehensive company assessments; (4) BU-Leistungspraxisstudie — annual study analyzing BU claims practices with market coverage over 60%; (5) Nachhaltigkeits-Bewertungen — sustainability ratings including Nachhaltigkeits-Score and Nachhaltigkeits-Unternehmensrating covering ESG criteria; (6) Industry events including Deutscher Versicherungs-Award and Nachhaltigkeits-Award. Target audiences include insurers, intermediaries, financial distributors, media, and consumers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• map-report: One of the oldest independent publication series for insurance analyses, founded in 1990 and part of Franke und Bornberg since 2019. Evaluates balance sheet figures, stability and corporate ratings.
• drei F+ Podcast

Products and services

• Produktratings (Insurance Product Ratings) Comprehensive insurance product ratings evaluating over 12,000 tariffs annually across seven categories: retirement provision (Altersvorsorge), occupational disability (Arbeitskraftabsicherung), survivor protection (Hinterbliebenenschutz), property/composite insurance (Komposit), health insurance (Krankenversicherung), long-term care insurance (Pflegeversicherung), and commercial insurance (Gewerbeversicherung). Evaluated across four dimensions: conditions, stability, contributions, and sustainability.
• BU-Unternehmensrating (Occupational Disability Corporate Rating) Comprehensive company rating evaluating the professionalism of life insurance companies in handling occupational disability risks. Examines customer orientation during offer/application phases, claims processing, and stability of BU business. Includes on-site verification of work processes and analysis of contract portfolios and claims data.
• GF-Unternehmensrating (Basic Capabilities Corporate Rating) Company rating for basic capabilities insurance (Grundfähigkeitsversicherung). Evaluates the professionalism of life insurers in handling basic capabilities coverage, examining work processes in customer orientation during offer/application phases, claims processing, and stability of the basic capabilities business.
• map-report One of the oldest independent publication series for insurance analysis in Germany. Evaluates balance sheet figures, stability, and performance of insurance companies. Distributed as a subscription product with editions such as map-report Nr. 943 (BU-Stabilitätsrating 2026).
• BU-Leistungspraxisstudie (Occupational Disability Claims Practice Study) Annual study analyzing the claims practices of occupational disability insurers. Analyzes recognition rates, processing duration, and reasons for rejection. The 2026 edition covers 36,128 cases from 2024, representing over 60% of the German BU market, drawn from 16 insurers covering 9.31 million insured persons.
• BU-Stabilitätsrating (Occupational Disability Stability Rating) Annual stability rating within map-report analyzing the long-term stability of BU insurers. Evaluates premiums, actuarial risks, stability, and financial strength across 1,850 achievable points. Identifies which providers can reliably fulfill their performance promises.
• Nachhaltigkeits-Bewertungen (Sustainability Ratings) Sustainability ratings analyzing insurance companies and their products across environmental, social, and governance criteria. Includes the Nachhaltigkeits-Score, Nachhaltigkeits-Unternehmensrating, and Offenlegungen (disclosures). Covers ESG rating procedures per EU Regulation 2024/3005.
• Nachhaltigkeits-Score (Sustainability Score) Sustainability score evaluating insurance companies based on documented information from official sustainability reports. Component of the Nachhaltigkeits-Bewertungen portfolio.
• Nachhaltigkeits-Unternehmensrating (Corporate Sustainability Rating) Corporate sustainability rating assessing insurance companies' ESG performance and disclosure practices.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 12,000 tariff rates evaluated annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• AssCompactcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024AssCompact as event partner for ESG-Award (now Nachhaltigkeits-Award) 2024, providing industry event platform for award ceremony at DKM trade fair.
• n-tvflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnership with German news channel n-tv for the Deutscher Versicherungs-Award (German Insurance Award). Franke und Bornberg provides ratings expertise and methodology while n-tv provides media platform and broadcast reach. Award recognizes best insurers in Germany across multiple categories.
• DISQ (Deutsches Institut für Service-Qualität)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnership with German Institute for Service-Quality for Deutscher Versicherungs-Award. DISQ contributes service quality evaluation methodology and research capabilities to the joint award program.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Fitch Ratings: Global rating agency with a significant insurance rating practice and analytical methodology for insurers and insurance products. Comparable as a peer in insurer and product rating, but with materially broader scope, global distribution, and capital base.
• Morningstar (DBRS): Global investment research and ratings firm (with DBRS credit ratings) producing insurance and financial-services research and ratings. Comparable in monetizing subscription-based financial research, though operating at much larger scale and broader asset-class scope.
• Moody's Ratings: Global credit rating agency with substantial insurance financial-strength and product rating capabilities. Comparable in rating methodology and subscription revenue mechanics, though operating at global scale across all financial sectors.
• AM Best: Global insurance-focused credit rating agency that has rated insurers for over a century. Comparable as a peer rating insurance companies' financial strength, though with global scale and an established international brand versus Franke und Bornberg's German niche.
• S&P Global Ratings: Global rating agency with insurance financial-strength ratings and product-level assessments. Comparable as an insurance rating incumbent with deep resources, but with broader sector coverage and global reach than Franke und Bornberg.

Direct peers

• Assekurata: Cologne-based independent insurance rating agency in Germany that evaluates insurers and insurance products across life, health, and property-casualty lines. Directly comparable to Franke und Bornberg as a domestic specialty rating house serving the same German insurer and intermediary customer base.
• Demotech: US-based financial-rating firm focused on insurance companies, particularly property/casualty carriers. Comparable as an insurance-only specialist rating agency with similar niche positioning, though geographically separate from Franke und Bornberg's German market.
• Scope Ratings: European-based rating agency providing credit ratings including insurance corporate ratings, with a comparable methodology-led, subscription-friendly positioning. Comparable to Franke und Bornberg as a Europe-focused, methodology-driven rating specialist, though broader in scope beyond insurance.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FrankeBornberg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCxqCJZ3CjxqF7RzKlE8V0_w
• Facebookfacebook.com/frankeundbornberg
• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/franke-und-bornberg
• Instagraminstagram.com/frankeundbornberg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Franke Bornberg