Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Schuldnerberatung BAG-SB e. V.

What Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Schuldnerberatung BAG-SB e. V. does

Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Schuldnerberatung e. V. (BAG-SB) is a non-profit registered association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 1986 and headquartered in Berlin, recognized as the primary federal professional association (Fachverband) for debt and insolvency counseling practice in Germany. It represents the interests of debt counseling practitioners, welfare associations, and approximately 7 million over-indebted German households vis-à-vis federal and state policymakers, coordinating a national advocacy coalition (AGSBV) with the Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband and the major Wohlfahrtsverbände. The organization runs on a small core staff of five people, supported by a volunteer board (Vorstand), and delivers services including the BAG-SB Informationen professional journal, a member events platform (veranstaltungen.bag-sb.de), specialist literature through its own BAG-SB Eigenverlag and partner publishers (C.H.BECK, Nomos, RWS, Wolters-Kluwer), a national job marketplace (Stellenmarkt), the meine-schulden.de public information portal, and an annual Innovationspreis.

The association's product surface is built on standard web and collaboration technology (TYPO3 CMS, Matomo analytics, Microsoft Office 365, CRM) and is increasingly oriented toward digital training (Ausbildungsoffensive Digitale Schuldnerberatung with DSEE) and AI-assisted guidance, including April 2026 participation in a consortium developing Germany's first AI-based debt counseling chatbot. Revenue is generated through five streams: annual membership fees paid by debt counseling centers and welfare organizations, per-event participation fees for conferences and trainings, sales of specialist publications (directly and via partner publishers), donations to its recognized gemeinnützig status, and since 2024 a baseline of institutional funding (institutionelle Förderung) from the German federal government. Distribution is direct to members via the website, the dedicated events platform, the newsletter (cleverreach), and politically oriented channels such as the annual AGSBV-coordinated Aktionswoche Schuldnerberatung.

Name

Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Schuldnerberatung BAG-SB e. V.

Legal name

Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Schuldnerberatung e. V. (BAG-SB)

Website

https://bag-sb.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

BAG-SB is the federally recognized German professional association for debt counseling practitioners, founded in 1986 and headquartered in Berlin. It serves member counseling centers, welfare associations, and over-indebted households through specialist publications, training events, advocacy, and a national AGSBV coalition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Collection Agencies (56144), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies (7320)

akta.pro primary industry

Credit Counseling & Debt Management Plans (DMP) (FSAKAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Debt Management Plans (DMP) Administration (FSAEAFAB), Collections & Creditor Negotiation Support (Debtor-Side) (FSAEAFAI), Debt Settlement & Negotiation Services (FSAEAFAC)

Keywords

• Debt counseling association
• Professional membership services
• Insolvency counseling advocacy
• Creditor advisory services
• Financial education training

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: BAG-SB generates revenue through membership fees paid by debt counseling centers, welfare organizations, and other professional members. Members receive access to the Fachzeitschrift (professional journal), legal advice, specialist literature partnerships, software, training events, and a job marketplace.
2. Event Participation Fees: Revenue is generated from participation fees for conferences, seminars, workshops, and training events (e.g., Jahresfachtagungen, Inhouse-Schulungen, Didaktik-Trainings). Fees are charged per participant with tiered pricing (reduced rates for early career professionals).
3. Sales of Specialist Publications: BAG-SB operates its own publishing house (BAG-SB Eigenverlag) and partners with publishers C.H.BECK, Nomos, RWS, and Wolters-Kluwer to offer specialist literature, commentaries, and handbooks for debt counseling professionals. Revenue includes sales through the Vereinsvorteile/Fachliteratur portal.
4. Institutional Funding: As of 2024, BAG-SB receives institutional funding (institutionelle Förderung) from the German federal government, as secured through the previous coalition government. This provides a baseline of public funding for the association's operations.
5. Donations: BAG-SB accepts charitable donations to support social debt counseling in Germany. The association is recognized as a non-profit (gemeinnützig) by the Berlin tax office. Donors receive simplified donation receipts for amounts up to €300.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Schuldnerberatung e.V. (BAG-SB) is the federally recognized professional association representing debt and insolvency counseling practice in Germany since 1986. It delivers member services including a specialist journal (Fachzeitschrift), continuing-education events and conferences, legal advice, specialist literature through its own publishing house and partner publishers, a job marketplace, and political advocacy for over-indebted households. It also operates the public information portal www.meine-schulden.de for individuals seeking debt advice.

Product overview

The Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Schuldnerberatung e.V. (BAG-SB) operates as a professional association rather than a software product company. Its core offerings include: the BAG-SB Informationen professional journal (Fachzeitschrift), a free newsletter for members, an event management platform (veranstaltungen.bag-sb.de) for conferences and training, the 'Ausbildungsoffensive' digital debt counseling training program, and specialized professional literature through its own publishing house and publisher partnerships (C.H.BECK, Nomos, RWS, Wolters-Kluwer). Member benefits also include legal consultation services and professional networks (Teams und Foren). The association also maintains www.meine-schulden.de as an information portal for individuals seeking debt counseling assistance. These offerings function as a unified professional support ecosystem for debt counseling practitioners across Germany, rather than a modular software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AGSBV (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Schuldnerberatung der Verbände): Joint working group with Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband and welfare associations for joint advocacy on debt counseling issues

Products and services

• BAG-SB Informationen (Fachzeitschrift)

Quantifiable outcome

• Monthly 300,000–350,000 account garnishments in Germany illustrate the scale of the debt crisis BAG-SB's members address.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AI chatbot development consortium (for debt counseling)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 April 2026BAG-SB announced its participation in April 2026 in the development of Germany's first AI-based chatbot for debt counseling. The initiative represents a novel co-development effort leveraging AI technology for public financial guidance.
• AGSBV (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Schuldnerberatung der Verbände)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBAG-SB is a founding/active member of the AGSBV coalition, which also includes the Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband (vzbv) and major German welfare associations (Wohlfahrtsverbände). The coalition coordinates national action weeks (Aktionswochen), policy positions, and joint advocacy on debt counseling and consumer protection issues.
• Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband (vzbv)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBAG-SB works closely with the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations (vzbv) within the AGSBV framework on joint positions regarding debt counseling legislation, P-Konto reforms, and EU consumer credit directive implementation.
• Wilhelm Oberle-StiftungminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBAG-SB co-awards the annual BAG-SB Innovationspreis together with the Wilhelm Oberle-Stiftung, which co-sponsors the prize money of €1,500 for innovative debt counseling practices.
• Schuldenfachberatungszentrum MainzminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in organizing the BAG-SB Jahresfachtagung 2022 in Mainz, alongside the Ministry of Social Affairs Rhineland-Palatinate (Sozialministerium RLP) and the LIGA der Freien Wohlfahrtspflege RLP.
• DSEE (Deutsche Stiftung für Engagement und Ehrenamt)minorOthersBAG-SB collaborated with DSEE on a digital didactics training initiative (Ausbildungsoffensive Digitale Schuldnerberatung), including learning videos for digital knowledge transfer in debt counseling. DSEE is a German foundation supporting voluntary engagement.
• IG MetallminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBAG-SB and IG Metall cooperated to provide guidance for workers facing crisis situations, combining labor union resources with debt counseling expertise (announced November 2022).

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Diakonie Deutschland: Protestant welfare association and AGSBV coalition partner; runs debt-counseling services through affiliated centers and aligns with BAG-SB on social-policy and SchuBerDG financing positions.
• AWO Bundesverband: Major welfare association participating in AGSBV; operates debt-counseling and social-support services for member organizations, paralleling BAG-SB's practitioner-facing role within the welfare sector.
• Der Paritätische Wohlfahrtsverband: Umbrella welfare association and AGSBV member representing independent social-service providers, including many debt-counseling centers; shares BAG-SB's policy objectives and member-base overlap.
• Deutscher Caritasverband: Largest German welfare association and AGSBV partner; operates debt-counseling services through its member organizations and shares BAG-SB's welfare-sector advocacy stance on over-indebtedness.

Direct peers

• Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft der Freien Wohlfahrtspflege (BAGFW): Umbrella federation of the six major German welfare associations; parallel Fachverband structure at the welfare-sector level, with overlapping AGSBV members and aligned advocacy on social-policy funding.
• Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband (vzbv): Federal association of German consumer centers; BAG-SB's closest coalition partner within AGSBV and the most directly comparable Fachverband structure, jointly advocating on debt, P-Konto, and consumer credit regulation.

Others

• SCHUFA Holding AG: Germany's dominant consumer credit bureau; adjacent ecosystem player whose data and credit-information practices directly shape the operating environment for BAG-SB's debt-counseling members.
• CAWIN GmbH: Software provider for debt-counseling case management; BAG-SB offers CAWIN discounts to members, making it the closest enabling technology partner and an indicator of BAG-SB's role as a distribution channel to practitioners.

Regional players

• Verbraucherzentrale NRW: Largest state-level consumer center in Germany; operates independent debt-counseling services that overlap with BAG-SB's member-network scope and shares the same vzbv coordination framework.
• Sozialverband Deutschland (SoVD): Large German social-interest association focused on social justice, pensions, and consumer protection; overlaps thematically with BAG-SB's over-indebtedness advocacy and welfare coalition politics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft-schuldnerberatung-bag-sb-e.-v.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Schuldnerberatung BAG-SB e. V.