SRC Research
SRC Research is a bank-independent equity research boutique founded in 2003, providing paid equity research and IR consulting on financial services and real estate stocks to professional investors in Germany and Austria.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersFrankfurt, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What SRC Research does
SRC Research (legally SRC-Scharff Research und Consulting GmbH) is a bank-independent equity research firm founded in 2003 by Stefan Scharff in Germany. The firm specializes in professional, subscription-based equity research on financial services and real estate stocks, primarily focused on listed companies in Germany and Austria within the DACH region. SRC Research positions itself as the first bank-independent and specialized analysts house for Financial and Real Estate stocks in the DACH market, addressing conflict-of-interest concerns that arise from bank-affiliated research.
The company generates revenue through two primary streams: recurring paid subscriptions for professional equity research delivered to institutional and professional investors, and professional services fees for investor relations (IR) consulting work that includes support for annual and quarterly reports, IR handbooks, competition analysis, roadshows, and analyst workshops. A third revenue component comes from the annual SRC Forum Financials & Real Estate conference, held in Frankfurt, which provides a forum for company presentations and one-on-one meetings between management teams and professional investors. Distribution is conducted via direct sales relationships to professional investors, complemented by corporate website content, email newsletters, and the annual Forum event.
SRC Research operates as a privately held boutique with 11-50 employees and offices in Berlin and Frankfurt. The firm's reputation is anchored by founder Stefan Scharff, who won the Thomson Reuters Analyst Award 2017 (1st of 69 analysts) and ranked second of 74 analysts in 2018 in the European Real Estate category as 'Top Stock Picker of the Year', delivering absolute returns of 29-30% on his recommendations. The company is governed by an Advisory Committee including senior figures from Swiss asset management and European media/communications. The firm continues to actively publish equity studies and maintain its annual Forum conference into 2026, demonstrating operational continuity over more than two decades.
SRC Research firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SRC Research
- Legal name
- SRC-Scharff Research und Consulting GmbH
- Website
- https://src-research.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SRC Research is a bank-independent equity research boutique founded in 2003, providing paid equity research and IR consulting on financial services and real estate stocks to professional investors in Germany and Austria.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SRC Research industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Equity Research Services
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Management Consulting Services (54161)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Equity Research (FSACAGAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sector-Specific Industry Research (FSACAGAL), Investor Relations (IR) Services (BPAFADAC), Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE)
Keywords
Where SRC Research is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Frankfurt
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
SRC Research business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Equity Research Subscriptions: SRC Research generates revenue through providing professional, independent equity research for financial values and real estate stocks to professional investors. The research is paid/subscription-based.
- IR Consulting Services: Second revenue stream from investor relations consulting services for companies in the financial services and real estate sectors, including support for annual reports, quarterly reports, company presentations, IR handbooks, competition analysis, roadshows, and analyst workshops.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
SRC Research product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SRC Research provides paid, bank-independent equity research focused on financial services and real estate stocks listed in Germany and Austria, delivered to professional and institutional investors for investment decision support. In addition, the firm offers IR (investor relations) consulting for companies in these sectors, supporting capital-market communications materials and events including annual/quarterly reports, presentations, IR handbooks, competition analyses, roadshows, and analyst workshops.
Product overview
SRC Research is a bank-independent equity research firm providing paid research services focused on financial services and real estate stocks from Germany and Austria. The company offers three main offerings: Equity Research Service providing in-depth stock analysis and ratings; IR Consulting for investor relations support and capital market communications; and the annual SRC Forum Financials & Real Estate conference for investor-company interaction.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Equity Research Service Bank-independent, paid professional equity research focused on financial services and real estate stocks listed in Germany and Austria, delivered to professional and institutional investors to support investment decisions and portfolio analysis.
- IR Consulting Investor relations consulting services for listed companies, including support for annual reports, quarterly reports, company presentations, IR handbooks, competition analyses, and the organization of roadshows and analyst workshops.
- SRC Forum Financials & Real Estate (Annual Investor Conference) Annual international investor conference held in Frankfurt where companies from the real estate and financial sectors present their businesses to investors, with opportunities for one-on-one meetings and roundtable sessions with CEOs and CFOs.
Companies that use SRC Research
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
SRC Research technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
SRC Research partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Kirchhoff Consult AGpremium partnerKirchhoff Consult AG serves as Premium Partner for SRC Forum Financials & Real Estate 2023. Kirchhoff is a leading consulting company for capital market communications in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, supporting the annual investor conference.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
SRC Research competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- DZ Bank Research: German cooperative-sector bank research franchise covering German financials and real estate; broader institution but directly overlapping coverage with SRC's universe.
- Baader Bank: German mid-market investment bank offering independent research, sales, and corporate services. Operates a bank-affiliated but independent research franchise overlapping with SRC's DACH coverage universe.
- Metzler (Bankhaus Metzler): Long-established German independent bank with a notable sell-side equity research franchise covering German financials and real estate — comparable research product for institutional investors.
- Warburg Research (M.M. Warburg): Established German independent research and investment bank producing in-depth equity research on German SMEs, financials, and real estate — a broader, more diversified incumbent with similar 'independent' positioning.
Direct peers
- Kepler Cheuvreux: Independent European equity research and execution house that, like SRC Research, sells conflict-free research to professional investors across European financials and real estate. Directly comparable as a bank-affiliated-free research provider.
- Montega AG: Independent German equity research boutique focused on German mid- and small-caps, comparable to SRC in its independent, subscription-style research distribution to institutional investors.
- cometis AG: German IR and capital-markations communications agency serving listed European companies — overlaps with SRC's IR consulting offering for the same financial and real estate issuer universe.
- AlphaValue: Independent European equity research boutique that targets professional investors with paid, conflict-free research across European listed equities — directly comparable business model and customer base to SRC Research.
- Kirchhoff Consult AG: DACH leader in capital-markets communications and IR consulting, already partnered with SRC on the 2023 Forum. Directly comparable in the IR consulting revenue stream.
- GFD Finanzkommunikation: German IR consulting firm serving listed companies, including real estate issuers — competes directly with SRC's IR consulting practice for the same set of DACH-listed clients.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
SRC Research financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SRC Research leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
SRC Research funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SRC Research M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SRC Research
What does SRC Research do?
SRC Research provides paid, bank-independent equity research focused on financial services and real estate stocks listed in Germany and Austria, delivered to professional and institutional investors for investment decision support. In addition, the firm offers IR (investor relations) consulting for companies in these sectors, supporting capital-market communications materials and events including annual/quarterly reports, presentations, IR handbooks, competition analyses, roadshows, and analyst workshops.
Is SRC Research a public or private company?
SRC Research is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was SRC Research founded?
SRC Research was founded in 2003. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is SRC Research based?
SRC Research is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does SRC Research make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Equity Research Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are IR Consulting Services.
Who are SRC Research's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are DZ Bank Research, Baader Bank, Metzler (Bankhaus Metzler) and Warburg Research (M.M. Warburg). Direct peers are Kepler Cheuvreux, Montega AG, cometis AG, AlphaValue, Kirchhoff Consult AG and GFD Finanzkommunikation.
Does SRC Research have an API?
No public API is recorded for SRC Research.
What industry is SRC Research in?
SRC Research's product category is Equity Research Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSACAGAA, Equity Research, with a secondary code of FSACAGAL, Sector-Specific Industry Research. Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.