What Exchange does

Exchange AG Deutschland is a Berlin-headquartered, privately held German financial services and retail company founded in 1983 as a pawn and currency exchange business and formally incorporated as Exchange AG Deutschland in 1997. It operates one of Germany's largest networks of secured pawn lenders (Leihhaus), offering SCHUFA-free, short-term loans against pledged jewelry, watches, and investment gold under the state-regulated Pfandleiherverordnung, alongside gold and precious-metals trading (Goldankauf and Edelmetallhandel — buying and selling LBMA-certified bars and globally accepted investment coins at spot prices), foreign currency exchange (Geldwechsel — over 100 currencies), and retail of certified diamonds and luxury watches (Jewelry/Watches/Brillanten — Rolex, Cartier, Breitling, Omega, Glashütte, IWC, Tag Heuer, Longines — inspected by in-house watchmakers). Distribution combines 20+ physical branches across major German cities (including Berlin, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Mannheim, Nürnberg, Potsdam, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Hannover, Braunschweig, and Kiel) with four branded e-commerce platforms and 'Schmuck mit Vergangenheit' jewelry counters inside GALERIA Karstadt Kaufhof department stores. Revenue is generated primarily through pawn-loan interest and fees (regulated), bid-ask spreads on precious-metals and currency transactions, retail markups on jewelry and watches, and auction proceeds from unclaimed pledged items (Versteigerung), with the company self-positioning as a hybrid physical-and-omni-channel retailer of value-based financial services to German consumers.

Operationally, the technology stack is conventional and not a differentiator: the company runs its own e-commerce properties with Google Analytics instrumentation and uses Google AdWords and Remarketing for paid acquisition and retargeting; no proprietary platform, AI/ML pipeline, public API, or SDK is documented. The branch network is organized around a few core service categories — pawn, jewelry, gold buying, and currency exchange — and is supplemented by acquired subsidiaries including Reicher GmbH (Düsseldorf currency exchange and precious metals) and Häffners Private Pfandkredit GmbH (Stuttgart pawn credit), whose brand identities have been retained. Pricing for precious metals tracks LBMA spot rates updated multiple times daily, with publicly disclosed example spread quotes (e.g., 1g gold bar at buy 111/sell 130 EUR; 100g at buy 11,072/sell 11,672 EUR; Krügerrand 1oz at buy 3,457/sell 3,632-3,652 EUR). Currency exchange rates are posted daily, and pawn-loan terms are governed by regulation rather than market pricing. Governance rests on a three-member executive board (Andrea Ruhfus, Ronny Splettstößer, Hartmut Müller) and a supervisory board chaired by Michael Hollmann, with supervision by BaFin and the Berlin Senate; no parent company, external investors, or public funding rounds are disclosed.

Name

Exchange

Legal name

Exchange AG Deutschland

Website

https://exchange-ag.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Exchange AG Deutschland is a Berlin-headquartered private German financial services and retail company operating one of Germany's largest pawn-shop networks of 20+ branches, complemented by gold, silver, and currency exchange, certified diamond and luxury-watch retail, and four specialized e-commerce platforms serving individual consumers across Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pawnbroking and Precious Metals Services

NAICS

Used Merchandise Retailers (45951)

SIC

Retail-Variety Stores (5331)

akta.pro primary industry

Pawn & Collateral-based Jewelry Retail (CRAKAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Pre-owned Watch Dealers & Exchanges (CRAKAKAB)

Keywords

• Pawn shop services
• Precious metals trading
• Currency exchange
• Jewelry retail
• Luxury watch retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Pawn Shop / Pfandkredit Services: Short-term secured loans against valuable items such as jewelry, watches, and gold. Customers receive cash immediately by pawning their valuables, with the option to reclaim items by repaying the loan with interest. Operates under German Pfandleiherverordnung regulations.
2. Gold and Precious Metal Trading: Buying and selling gold bars and coins, silver bars and coins, and platinum. Prices are aligned with international exchange rates (LBMA spot prices). Revenue generated through the spread between buy and sell prices.
3. Currency Exchange: Exchange of foreign currencies for travelers. Provides competitive exchange rates for over 100 currencies including major (USD, GBP, CHF, JPY) and exotic currencies. Revenue generated through exchange rate margins.
4. Jewelry and Luxury Watch Sales: Sale of pre-owned and new jewelry including gold, platinum, diamond, and gemstone pieces, as well as luxury watches from brands such as Rolex, Cartier, Breitling, Omega, and Glashütte. Revenue from retail markups on acquired and new inventory.
5. Online E-commerce Platforms: Multiple online shops offering jewelry, precious metals, travel money, and gold purchasing services. Customers can browse and purchase products online with insured shipping, or sell gold/jewelry by mail.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Exchange AG Deutschland operates a network of pawn shops (Leihhäuser) and retail stores across Germany, offering collateral-based lending against valuables, buying and selling gold and silver bullion, foreign currency exchange, and retail sales of new and pre-owned jewelry and watches. The company combines traditional pawnbroking, precious metals trading, and jewelry/watch retail through 20+ branches and a digital presence, supported by 200+ employees headquartered in Berlin.

Product overview

Exchange AG is a German financial services and retail company operating a multi-format, multi-channel portfolio of services centered on value-based lending, precious metals, currency exchange, and jewelry. The core offering consists of a nationwide pawn shop network (Leihhaus) with over 20 branches offering SCHUFA-free pawn credits, gold buying services (Goldankauf), currency exchange (Geldwechsel), and jewelry retail (Juwelier). These services are complemented and extended through four branded online platforms: Gold-Exchange.de for precious metals (bars/coins), Goldpaket24.de for online gold selling, Juwelier-Exchange.de for jewelry e-commerce, and exchange-reisegeld.de for travel currency. A pawn credit auction (Versteigerung) disposes of unclaimed pledged items. The company operates on a physical-branch-plus-online-omni-channel model, with additional jewelry sub-brands such as 'Schmuck mit Vergangenheit' in GALERIA Karstadt Kaufhof locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Goldpaket24: Online gold purchasing service allowing customers to sell gold items by mail
• Exchange Reisegeld
• Exchange Edelmetalle (Gold-Exchange)
• Juwelier-Exchange
• Schmuck mit Vergangenheit

Products and services

• Pawn Loans (Leihhaus)

Named customers4 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

Integration5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• GALERIA Karstadt Kaufhof GmbHminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExchange AG operates 'Schmuck mit Vergangenheit' (Jewelry with History) retail locations within GALERIA Karstadt Kaufhof department stores across Germany. These locations offer jewelry buying and selling services but are explicitly noted as not being pawn businesses. The partnership provides Exchange AG access to high-traffic department store locations while GALERIA offers branded jewelry services to its customers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Aurum Edelmetalle: Mid-sized German gold and precious-metals dealer with both physical retail locations and online Ankauf/Verkauf. Comparable scale and product mix to Exchange AG's gold trading and gold-buying operations.
• Reisebank: Germany's leading dedicated travel-money (Geldwechsel) network with branches in train stations and airports plus online ordering. Direct competitor to Exchange AG's Geldwechsel and exchange-reisegeld.de services across the same currency universe.
• Degussa Goldhandel: One of Germany's largest precious-metals dealers, offering gold/silver/platinum bars and coins for retail investors alongside buy-back and storage services. Direct overlap with Exchange AG's Edelmetallhandel and Gold-Exchange.de business.
• Pro Aurum: German precious-metals specialist operating physical stores plus online sales of investment gold, silver, and platinum, with active gold-buying (Ankauf) services. Closely comparable to Exchange AG's combined gold trading and buy-back offering.
• Pfandkredit-Bank / Kölner Pfandhaus: Established German pawnbroker offering regulated Pfandkredite against jewelry, watches, and gold at multiple North Rhine-Westphalia locations. Direct competitor in the pawn credit category with similar SCHUFA-free short-term secured lending model.

Broad incumbents

• Wempe: High-end German jeweler and watch retailer with strong Rolex/Omega/Cartier authorized-dealer positioning. Comparable in luxury watch retail (Rolex, Breitling, Omega) and fine jewelry category, but at a more premium and authorized-dealer tier than Exchange AG's mixed new/pre-owned model.
• Christ Juweliere und Uhrmacher: Germany's largest jewelry and watch retail chain with broad omnichannel presence. Overlaps with Exchange AG's Juwelier and luxury watch (Rolex, Cartier, Omega) business but operates at much larger scale and broader price-point spectrum.

Others

• Heraeus Precious Metals: Global precious-metals refiner and trader upstream in the value chain. Not a direct competitor but a key supplier/counterparty relationship for any German gold retailer's LBMA-certified sourcing model.

Emerging players

• Müller (Müller Drogerie): Large German drugstore/non-food retailer that has expanded into jewelry, watches, and gold bars. Partial overlap with Exchange AG's lower-end jewelry and bullion offering through a different (general retail) distribution model.

Regional players

• Eurochange / Currency Exchange Corp: Established European bureau de change operator with multi-branch travel-money services. Comparable retail currency-exchange model though primarily UK-focused; relevant benchmark for branch economics and online currency ordering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCiQ7nQUjTc5kFpPpR2k9MNg
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=61582549161736&locale=de_DE
• Instagraminstagram.com/exchange_ag
• Xx.com/exchangeag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Exchange