FIRM Frankfurt Institute for Risk Management and Regulation

What FIRM Frankfurt Institute for Risk Management and Regulation does

FIRM (Frankfurt Institute for Risk Management and Regulation) is a registered non-profit association (eingetragener Verein, VR 14261) founded in 2009 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It operates a network comprising over 50 financial institutions, 40+ academic researchers, and supervisory authorities (notably BaFin) focused on risk management and regulatory practice in the DACH financial sector. The organization facilitates six specialized round tables — Artificial Intelligence, Banking Risk, Compliance Risk, Cyber Risk, ESG, and Payments — which meet regularly to develop practical standards and exchange research on emerging risk topics including agentic AI, digital euro, and climate risk.

The organization's core products are knowledge outputs: an annual yearbook (26 articles from 60 authors in the 2026 edition), quarterly newsletters, whitepapers (the most recent being 'Agentic AI in Risk & Compliance'), and professional articles on topics such as credit rating migration, transition plans in banking, and front-office compliance integration. FIRM funds research projects at affiliated universities (over 40 projects totaling €3 million since 2010) and supports the Master of Finance program at Frankfurt School and the Part-time Master in Finance at Goethe Business School through scholarships and executive engagement. Revenue is generated exclusively through tiered annual membership fees, ranging from €50 (alumni) to €50,000+ (founding members), with structural governance providing voting rights proportional to contribution. The board includes senior representatives from Deutsche Bank, KfW, BCG, ING, Frankfurt School, and the State of Hesse, reinforcing institutional anchoring and multi-stakeholder governance.

Name

FIRM Frankfurt Institute for Risk Management and Regulation

Legal name

Gesellschaft für Risikomanagement und Regulierung e.V.

Website

https://firm.fm

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

FIRM is a non-profit association founded in 2009 that convenes over 50 financial institutions, academic researchers, and supervisory authorities in the DACH region around six risk-management round tables and a portfolio of publications, research funding, and educational programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Risk Management Research and Professional Education

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Fraud Risk Management & Anti-Bribery/Anti-Corruption (ABAC) (BPAHAFAL)

Keywords

• Risk management research
• Financial regulation consulting
• Banking compliance services
• Professional membership association
• Academic risk research

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt am Main

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. Membership Fees: The organization generates revenue through annual membership fees from four primary tiers: Regular members (min €10,000/year), Premium members (min €20,000/year), Founding members (min €50,000 additional/year), and Personal members (min €400/year). Supporting members provide in-kind services instead of cash payments. Alumni members pay €50/year after a free first year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FIRM is a non-profit membership association that brings together financial institutions, consulting firms, supervisory authorities, and academia to advance risk management and regulation practices. It operates six specialized round tables (AI, Banking Risk, Compliance Risk, Cyber Risk, ESG, Payments), publishes research (yearbooks, whitepapers, professional articles), funds university research projects, and supports master's degree programs in finance with risk management specializations.

Product overview

FIRM (Frankfurt Institute for Risk Management and Regulation) is a network organization supported by the Gesellschaft für Risikomanagement und Regulierung e.V. that brings together over 50 financial institutions and 40 researchers. The organization offers a portfolio of knowledge products including the annual FIRM Jahrbuch (Yearbook), quarterly newsletters, whitepapers on specialized topics (Agentic AI, Geopolitical Risks, ESG, Digital Assets), and professional articles. It facilitates six expert Round Tables (Artificial Intelligence, Banking Risk, Compliance Risk, Cyber Risk, ESG, and Payments Risk) for industry dialogue. FIRM also supports academic programs including the Master of Finance at Frankfurt School and Part-time Master in Finance at Goethe Business School, and funds research projects in risk management and regulation at partner universities. The organization does not offer a software product or API.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Round Tables (AI, Banking Risk, Compliance Risk, Cyber Risk, ESG, Payments) Expert discussion forums covering six specialized risk domains: Artificial Intelligence (AIRT), Banking Risk (BRRT), Compliance Risk (CRRT), Cyber Risk (CYRT), ESG (ESGRT), and Payments Risk (PRRT). Each round table meets regularly to address current topics and develop industry standards for financial institutions.
• FIRM Jahrbuch (Yearbook) Annual comprehensive publication addressing current focal points in risk management with contributions from over 50 authors covering topics including cyber risks, cryptocurrencies, artificial intelligence, machine learning, ESG, governance, and other financial risk topics.
• Whitepapers Position papers and whitepapers addressing specific risk management topics including Agentic AI in Risk & Compliance, Geopolitical Risks, Artificial Intelligence/Model Risk Management, ESG-Climate Risks, and Asset Management with DLT and Digital Assets.
• Professional Articles (Fachbeiträge) Technical and professional articles on risk management topics including credit rating migration, transition plans in banking, AI ROI, ECAIs and capital requirements, and front-office compliance integration.
• FIRM Research Project Funding Program Funded research projects in risk management and regulation with concrete practical relevance, conducted in partnership with universities. Includes projects on risk culture indicators, cybercrime on Ethereum blockchain, inflation risk, personalized communication, investor actions, digital assets integrity, and linguistic sentiment analysis.
• Master of Finance (MSc) with Risk Management concentration Internationally recognized master's program at Frankfurt School of Finance & Management with concentrations in Capital Markets, Corporate Finance, Risk Management, and Financial Advisory. Supported by FIRM with scholarship funding, internships, executive talks, and alumni initiative access.
• Part-time Master in Finance with Risk Management & Regulation specialization Innovative part-time master's program at Goethe Business School with specialization options in Financial Technology Management or Risk Management & Regulation. Offers scholarships from FIRM and access to the House of Finance network.
• FIRM Newsletter Quarterly newsletter providing updates on FIRM activities, research, events, and developments in risk management and regulation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Funded over 40 research projects from 20 universities with €3 million total investment since 2010
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability10 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Frankfurt School of Finance & ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Primary academic partner providing the Master of Finance program with FIRM-supported Risk Management concentration. FIRM provides scholarship funding, arranges internships, and executive talks with leading risk management practitioners. Students gain access to FIRM alumni initiative.
• Goethe Business SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Academic partner for the Part-Time Master in Finance program with specializations in Financial Technology Management and Risk Management & Regulation. FIRM provides attractive scholarships for this program.
• House of Finance (Goethe University)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Key academic research partner with Prof. Dr. Rainer Klump serving as Executive Director. Coordinates research projects and hosts FIRM research activities at Theodor W. Adorno Square 3.
• Frankfurt Main Finance e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose cooperation in teaching and research. Mutual committee participation ensures information exchange. Oliver Behrens from Frankfurt Main Finance serves on FIRM's Management Board.
• NvidiacoreTechnology or IntegrationDr. Jochen Papenbrock from Nvidia coordinates the Artificial Intelligence Round Table (AIRT), providing technology perspective on AI applications in financial services.
• DeloittecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMultiple Deloitte professionals coordinate round tables including Cyber Risk (Tobias Synak, Daniel Naumilkat), Payments (Dr. Markus Ampenberger), and contribute to whitepapers and events.
• Boston Consulting Group (BCG)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDr. Til Bünder from BCG coordinates the ESG Round Table and authors whitepapers on climate policy and geopolitical risks. Contributes significant intellectual capital to FIRM publications.
• SAFE (Research Center at Goethe University)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partner hosting researchers including Prof. Dr. Rainer Haselmann. Collaborates on FIRM-funded research projects.
• Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf. Dr. Christine Laudenbach conducts FIRM-funded research on personalized communication and repayment at SAFE.
• Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV)coreOthersGerman Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution provides cyber threat intelligence briefings to the Payments Round Table, serving as Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for the financial sector.
• European Central BankminorOthersECB representatives present at round tables and their cyber resilience stress testing framework is discussed. Not formal partnership but regular engagement.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CFA Institute: Global, much larger professional association for investment professionals offering the CFA charter and ethics standards. Comparable to FIRM as a financial-services professional association running certification programs and publishing research, but with global scope and broader investment-management focus.
• ACI Financial Markets Association: Global trade association for financial market participants, particularly in treasury, FX and payments. Comparable to FIRM as an industry association providing education, certification and round-table forums, and adjacent to FIRM's Payments Risk Round Table scope.

Emerging players

• ISACA: Global professional association for IT governance, cyber risk and information systems auditing, offering CISA/CISM certifications. Comparable to FIRM as a risk-adjacent membership body with strong content library and education programs; overlaps with FIRM's Cyber Risk Round Table domain.
• RIMS - Risk and Insurance Management Society: US-headquartered global risk management society focused on enterprise risk and insurance, with chapters and conferences. Comparable to FIRM as a member-led risk community producing publications and educational content, though oriented toward corporate/insurance risk rather than banking.

Direct peers

• PRMIA - Professional Risk Managers' International Association: International, member-supported professional association offering the PRM designation and risk management training for financial practitioners. Directly comparable in mission, member-funded economics, and education-and-research focus to FIRM, though with global rather than DACH scope.
• FERMA - Federation of European Risk Management Associations: European federation of national risk management associations representing corporate and financial risk professionals. Comparable as a European-level industry body advocating on risk regulation, providing forums and thought leadership alongside FIRM.
• GARP - Global Association of Risk Professionals: US-headquartered, global membership-based professional association dedicated to risk management, best known for the FRM and ERP certifications. Closest functional peer to FIRM: similar community-led GTM, certification-adjacent educational programs, and member-funded model serving banks and regulators.
• IIF - Institute of International Finance: Global association of financial institutions focused on risk, regulation and capital markets policy, headquartered in Washington DC. Comparable to FIRM as a membership organization convening banks, supervisors and researchers on regulatory issues.
• IRM - Institute of Risk Management: UK-based chartered body for risk management offering the CertIRRM and Fellowship qualifications. Closely aligned with FIRM's focus on practitioner risk education, standards development, and community engagement across financial institutions.

Regional players

• Bundesverband deutscher Banken (Association of German Banks): Berlin-based umbrella association representing private banks in Germany, with strong engagement on regulatory and risk policy. Comparable to FIRM as a DACH-focused industry association, though it represents banks as members rather than delivering risk-specific research and education.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights1 record

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/firm-gesellschaft-f%C3%BCr-risikomanagement-und-regulierung-e-v

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 FIRM Frankfurt Institute for Risk Management and Regulation