Betriebswirt/Betriebswirtin (Hochschule) für Bank und Finanzdienstleistungen

To learn about this profession, various information resources provided by the Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Federal Employment Agency) can be consulted. The film 'Bank, Finanzdienstleistungen - Duales Studium' and magazines/websites such as BANKMAGAZIN, Bank und Zukunft, and Betriebswirt info are also available. Additionally, publications and platforms like BFuP, BKR, bm bank und markt, CORPORATE FINANCE, DerTreasurer, IT Finanzmagazin, luenendonk.de, wir-sind-bund.de, and wiwi-online offer information. Specific reports like 'Qualität der Arbeit, Beschäftigung und Beschäftigungsfähigkeit im Wechselspiel von Technologie, Organisation und Qualifikation (Finanzen und Versicherungen)' and 'Shifting the Trillions. Ein nachhaltiges Finanzsystem für die Große Transformation', along with the 'Sustainable Finance-Strategie 2021', can also be reviewed.

Digital process automation (DPA) optimizes and completes digital workflows. Its focus is on end-to-end processes within the company and their connection to partner companies and customers. DPA digitizes cross-organizational processes, integrates involved systems, and automates information transfer. Business processes in sales, marketing, management, IT, and production are potential application areas for DPA. Hyperautomation extends Robotic Process Automation (RPA) with intelligent automation solutions and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Companies analyze, design, measure, automate, simplify, and control their workflows using these technologies. The goal is to increasingly automate decision-making processes.

There are several important and helpful interests for success in this field of study. They are listed in order of importance, with illustrative activities provided for each interest area. An interest in commercial-organizational activities is important; for example, formulating benchmarks for a financial company or determining current customer satisfaction using complaint rates. An interest in administrative-organizational activities is also important; for example, ensuring the smooth running of business processes.

Business economists specializing in banking and financial services primarily work in offices and meeting rooms. Additionally, they may also work at customer counters, in home offices, or remotely, as needed.

Core competencies acquired or deepened during the university studies (Studium) include investment and asset consulting, international business, banking operations, banking and stock exchange law, building society business, business administration, bookkeeping, controlling, financial services consulting, financing, financial planning, calculation, cost and performance accounting, customer consulting and support, marketing, human resources, risk management and risk controlling, tax law, and securities business. Further competencies that may be significant for practicing this profession include active business, banking and capital market law, construction financing, foreign exchange business, digital land register, precious metal trading, corporate client business, Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), Geldwäschegesetz (GwG - Anti-Money Laundering Act), investment banking, credit business, life insurance, sustainable investments, passive business, private client business, auditing, expert examination according to § 34i GewO (real estate loan brokerage), savings and investment business, corporate participations, insurance business, sales, and securities and stock law.

The ongoing digitalization of the world of work and professions can change task areas and requirement profiles. For business economists in banking and financial services, there may be opportunities to engage with the following technologies, procedures, or systems: Algorithmic Decision Making - ADM (e.g., participating in the development of criteria for automated assessment of creditworthiness of individuals), API-Banking (e.g., developing new business models based on data exchange between banks and third-party providers; developing credit models for comparison portals to attract new customer groups), Augmented Analytics (e.g., using automatically prepared data to optimize banking products), Business Intelligence - BI (e.g., preparing or making operational and strategic decisions with the help of automatically analyzed data and the insights gained from it), Business Process Management Systems - BPM Systems (e.g., software).

Business economists (Betriebswirt/Betriebswirtin (Hochschule)) for banking and financial services independently plan, organize, and control business processes. If they lead a team, they motivate their employees and coordinate their collaboration. They require strong communication skills for this. When performing risk analyses, credit assessments, or implementing financial products, they need analytical and organizational skills. Developing financing concepts requires business acumen. Foreign language skills and intercultural competencies are necessary, for example, when collaborating with clients and business partners from other countries. Negotiation skills are crucial to achieve good negotiation results. They primarily work at their desks in an office, but also operate in meeting rooms, for instance, when advising private and corporate clients. In field service, they visit clients and business partners both domestically and internationally.

Business economists (Betriebswirt/Betriebswirtin (Hochschule)) for banking and financial services can work freelance in the following areas: Financial services consulting, stock market trading, management consulting.

Example collective bargaining gross basic salary (monthly): €5,148 to €5,792. Source: Collective bargaining collection of the Bavarian State Ministry for Family, Labor and Social Affairs. Note: This information is for orientation purposes. No claims can be derived from it.

Banks, credit institutions, stock exchanges, other financial institutions, central banks and credit institutions, investment companies, financing conduits, activities related to financial services, other financing institutions, management, management activities of other holding companies, management activities of holding companies with predominantly financial shareholdings, management activities of holding companies with active insurance business. Also conceivable: Tax consulting, auditing, practices of auditors and sworn accountants, auditing and accounting firms, practices of tax consultants and tax representatives, as well as tax consulting professional practice companies, management consulting.

Those who wish to work in this profession typically need a completed undergraduate degree (grundständiges Studium) in banking and financial services. Leadership positions or specialized tasks usually require a master's degree (Masterstudium). Activities in science and research often require a doctorate (Promotion) or habilitation (Habilitation).

Banking, Financial Services (undergraduate - grundständig), Banking, Financial Services (postgraduate - weiterführend).

Business economists (Hochschule) for banking and financial services primarily find employment in banks and credit institutions, as well as financial services companies. Additionally, they can also find employment in management consultancies, and tax and auditing firms.

Job title: Business economist (Hochschule) - banking and financial services. Also common job title/synonym: Bank business economist. Job title in English: Business economist (m/f) - banking and financial services. Job title in French: Conseiller financier bancaire/Conseillère financière bancaire.

Anyone who commercially mediates insurance and reinsurance contracts requires permission from the competent Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) and an entry in its intermediary register. Proof of expertise may be necessary for insurance mediation or consulting, depending on prior education.

Some characteristics of work and social behavior are equally relevant for all professions and are therefore not mentioned separately. These include: reliability, punctuality, honesty, ability to criticize, and appropriate manners. In addition, the following profession-specific characteristics are required to practice this academic profession: willingness to perform and commit (e.g., recognizing work bottlenecks in serving private and corporate clients and willingly taking on consulting discussions to overcome the bottleneck), perseverance / determination (e.g., persistently working to acquire new customers in new customer acquisition despite setbacks), diligence (e.g., carefully checking risks when granting loans; flawlessly conducting internal audits), sense of responsibility and willingness to take responsibility (e.g., conscientiously managing financial transactions to avoid endangering high material values; taking responsibility for deadlines).

Business economists (Hochschule) for banking and financial services plan, organize, and monitor the business activities of a bank or a financial services company.

Job and applicant exchanges: asscompact, Bankingclub, BankingJobs.ch, bankjob.de, CityJobs, eFinancialCareers.

For professionals in this field, there are various employer associations, financial supervisory institutions, and trade unions. These include the Employers' Association of the Private Banking Sector, BaFin (Federal Financial Supervisory Authority), the Federal Association of German Economists and Business Administrators, the Federal Association of Public Banks of Germany, the German Bank Employees' Association, ver.di - United Services Union, and the Administrative Professional Association (VBG).

This profession involves responsibility for people (e.g., guiding, motivating, and leading employees), responsibility for assets (e.g., dealing with customers' financial investments, stocks, or valuables), and customer contact (e.g., advising customers on various investment and financing concepts). Additionally, adherence to various regulations and legal requirements (e.g., Banking Act, Securities Trading Act), screen work (e.g., performing analysis, conceptualization, and planning tasks), and office work (e.g., advising customers) are part of the working conditions.

Professional deployment opportunities vary according to fields of activity. In controlling, one can work as a controller or head of controlling. In finance and accounting, roles include investment manager, cost accountant, head of finance and accounting, or head of cost accounting. Teaching activities at universities and academies can involve working as a lecturer or study program coordinator. In press and public relations, one can work as an investor relations manager. In legal consulting and services, one might be a money laundering officer. In auditing, roles include head of auditing or auditor. In management consulting, one can be a venture capitalist, or in consumer consulting, a consumer advisor. In insurance and financial services, positions such as investment advisor, stockbroker, financial broker, fund manager, branch manager (bank), consortium officer, or credit manager are available.

Work materials include documents such as profitability analyses, consulting concepts, investment and financing concepts, key business figures, process and organizational plans, contracts, statistics, and legal regulations (e.g., Banking Act, Securities Trading Act). Data management systems and software, such as planning and control systems, accounting, and financial software, are also used. Office equipment includes PCs, internet access, and telephones.

Business administrators for banking and financial services support economic decision-making processes in various functional areas. They conduct analyses, execute projects, and evaluate their success. They also analyze and develop products and services for credit institutions such as banks or savings banks, financial service companies, and financial investment advisory firms. After coordination and approval, they implement these concepts, monitor their success, and adjust them if necessary. They optimize business processes using information and communication technologies, acquire and advise clients by analyzing their economic situation, and develop investment and financing concepts. Furthermore, they perform risk analyses, ratings, and credit checks, or monitor financial holdings and manage financial transactions in the treasury department.

Continuing education for adaptation helps keep professional knowledge current and adjust to new developments (e.g., in financing forms, securities trading, banking law). Furthermore, the trend towards using artificial intelligence, for example in personalized marketing or customer support, can become an important continuing education topic for business administrators in banking and financial services.

Bachelor graduates can expand their professional and career opportunities through further Studium (higher education studies), for example, in the fields of Banking, Financial Services, Finance and Accounting, Controlling, or Risk Management. A Promotion (doctorate) is generally required for a scientific career at a university, and a Habilitation (postdoctoral qualification) is typically needed for appointment as a university professor. A doctorate may also facilitate access to senior professional positions in the private sector, research, and public administration.

Analysis and Concept Development: Identify the initial situation, analyze and evaluate existing banking and financial service offerings. Determine customer satisfaction, for example, through market research, customer surveys, or complaint rates. Explore innovative and practical investment and financing concepts by observing competitors. Formulate goals and benchmarks for the company. Design optimized and integrated consulting concepts within the banking and financial services sector, for example, as part of a project plan, including corresponding marketing measures. Evaluate implementation possibilities, conduct cost-benefit analyses (e.g., assess timelines, necessary budgets, and goals). Discuss and, if necessary, adapt concepts. Implementation and Control: Accompany the implementation process, coordinate subtasks, monitor interim goals. Develop investment and financing concepts tailored to individual customer situations. Conduct risk analyses, ratings, and creditworthiness checks. Provide consulting services.

The following additional employment alternatives are available for the profession of Business Administrator (Hochschule) for Banking and Financial Services: Field of Finance and Accounting: Business Administrator (Hochschule) for Accounting and Controlling, Business Administrator (Hochschule) for Taxes and Auditing, Business Administrator (Hochschule) for Insurance, Business Administrator (Hochschule) for Corporate Management. Commonalities: Plan, monitor, and organize business processes; support economic decision-making processes; negotiate with business partners and customers; design and implement financial software. Field of Information Acquisition, Development, and Processing: Business Informatics Specialist (Hochschule), Business Mathematician. Commonalities: Process complex financial transactions using mathematical methods; develop application software for the insurance and financial services industry. Note: For detailed information, please refer to BERUFENET.

What is it about? Business administrators (Hochschule) for banking and financial services plan, organize, and monitor the business activities of a bank or a financial services company. Preparing Decisions: For example, when new laws come into force that affect taxes and duties, business administrators for banking and financial services examine whether product adjustments are economically sensible or substantively necessary. They develop a new investment product, an updated tax-saving model, or an innovative financing concept, and check which customers (e.g., companies and wealthy private individuals) can be targeted with these. They also investigate whether the services offered are still market-appropriate. They carefully ascertain the current situation, for example, through customer surveys, and describe the initial situation. Business administrators evaluate the potential of technical developments.

The following abilities, knowledge, and skills are required for performing possible activities in this Studium (degree) profession. Abilities: Numerical (calculating) thinking (e.g., mathematical comprehension and evaluation of the development and risks of securities and loans). Memory (e.g., remembering names, faces, and facts about customers after consulting sessions). Adaptability (e.g., adjusting to constantly changing customers, consulting topics, and situations; frequent switching between organizational-administrative tasks and consulting activities). Commercial aptitude (e.g., recognizing and assessing market developments and market risks; planning and managing investments). Ability to plan and organize (e.g., planning, coordinating, and managing internal work processes, such as tasks in the counter hall). Knowledge and Skills: Calculation skills (e.g., rough calculation of financing costs for an investment project).

Legal Regulations for the Activity: Trade Regulation (Gewerbeordnung - GewO) of 22.02.1999 (BGBl. I S. 202), last amended by Article 34 of the Law of 04.02.2026 (BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 33). Regulation on Insurance Mediation and Advice (Versicherungsvermittlungsverordnung - VersVermV) of 17.12.2018 (BGBl. I S. 2483; 2019 I S. 411), amended by Article 1 of the Regulation of 17.02.2025 (BGBl. 2025 I Nr. 43). Regulation on Information Obligations in Insurance Contracts (VVG-Informationspflichtenverordnung - VVG-InfoV) of 18.12.2007 (BGBl. I S. 3004), last amended by Article 6 of the Law of 09.06.2021 (BGBl. I S. 1666). Regulation on Information Obligations in Company Pension Schemes Carried out by Pension Funds, Pension Schemes, and Other Life Insurance Companies (VAG-Informationspflichtenverordnung - VAG-InfoV) of 17.06.2019 (BGBl. I S. 871). Law on Insurance Contracts (Versicherungsvertragsgesetz - VVG) of 23.11.2007 (BGBl. I S. 2631), last amended by Article 4.

Exercising this profession may involve the following physical requirements. This information does not necessarily apply to every activity profile or professional application. Undisturbed speech ability (e.g., negotiating with clients and business partners; presenting financing concepts), near vision – even corrected (e.g., performing analysis, conception, and planning work on the computer), hearing ability and speech comprehension (e.g., grasping clients' ideas and wishes regarding capital investments and securities transactions) are important. Note: This information does not form a basis for legal action and should not be understood as a medical suitability assessment. Actual physical suitability or unsuitability must always be determined on a case-by-case basis and taking into account possible reasonable accommodations.

The following lists professions or activities that show similarities to the original profession. These professions offer a possible alternative for applicants who cannot find a vacant position in their learned profession. Furthermore, employers can consider specialists from these professions as alternatives for filling a position in the original profession. Some alternative professions only comprise partial activities of the original profession; others may require an induction period, the length of which can vary in individual cases. The following immediate employment and staffing alternatives are available for the profession of Business Administrator for Banking and Financial Services: Job and Staffing Alternatives for partial activities and professional applications (with/without induction): Investment Advisor, Audit Assistant, Participation Manager, Stockbroker, Financial Broker, Fund Manager.

The activity as a Business Administrator for Banking and Financial Services is not regulated. No professional recognition is necessary to work in this profession with a qualification acquired abroad. However, it is possible to apply for an individual certificate evaluation for foreign university degrees through the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB). This can be helpful for applications on the German labor market. Further information on living and working in Germany: Hotline Working and Living in Germany (central information hotline of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) and the Federal Employment Agency (BA)), For people from abroad (an information offer from the Federal Employment Agency), Central Foreign and Specialist Placement Service of the Federal Employment Agency, Make it in Germany (the welcome portal of the skilled labor initiative for international skilled workers).

The following health limitations could lead to problems when performing the profession. This information does not necessarily apply to every activity profile or professional application. Increasingly, there are also ways to compensate for limitations, for example, through technical aids. Speech disorder, speech impediment (e.g., negotiating with clients and business partners; presenting financing concepts), uncorrectable near vision impairment (e.g., performing analysis, conception, and planning work on the computer), hearing impairment, hard of hearing, deafness, hearing disorder, chronic ear conditions (e.g., grasping clients' ideas and wishes regarding capital investments and securities transactions). Note: This information does not form a basis for legal action and should not be understood as a medical suitability assessment. Actual physical suitability or unsuitability must always be determined on a case-by-case basis and taking into account possible reasonable accommodations.

The following additional staffing alternatives are available for the profession of Business Administrator for Banking and Financial Services: Field of Finance and Accounting: Business Administrator (Hochschule) for Accounting and Controlling, Business Administrator (Hochschule) for Taxes and Auditing, Business Administrator (Hochschule) for Insurance. Commonalities: Planning, monitoring, and organizing business processes, supporting economic decision-making processes, negotiating with business partners and clients, designing and using financial software. Note: The mentioned staffing alternatives may require an induction period, the length of which can vary in individual cases.