Banks in Berlin

There are dozens of banks in Germany catering for all sorts of needs. There are a few well-known banks which operate nationwide, and each region also has its own local banks. These are the main banks present in Berlin:

Berliner Bank

The Berliner Bank was founded after the Second World War by the government of the former West Berlin. It is now an independent subsidiary of Deutsche Bank specialising in the Berlin consumer banking market. The head office in the Hardenbergstraße has an international counter to deal with enquiries in English.

List of branches

Berliner Sparkasse

The Berliner Sparkasse is Berlin's largest retail / consumer bank, with around 150 branches throughout the city. It's a member of the Sparkasse Association, a nationwide network of "Sparkassen". Staff at the head office in the Bundesallee (Wilmersdorf will be able to advise you on a local branch to open an account.

Berliner Volksbank

Citibank

Citibank's branches are quite spread around and often a little way away from major centres. One of the most convenient branches, and where the staff are used to international customers, is the one on Wittenbergplatz.

Citibank offers a free current account (Girokonto) if you maintain a total continuous balance of at least 2,500 Euros in any accounts you have with them in Germany.

The Citibank website doesn't have a single list of branches, but if you enter your postcode in the box marked PLZ on this page you can find the nearest branches to you.

Commerzbank

Commerzbank is one of the leading nationwide banks in Germany. While it's better known internationally as an investment bank, it also has an extensive branch network dedicated to consumers. The main branch in Schöneberg has an international counter with English-speaking staff which handles accounts for expatriates.

Deutsche Bank

Deutsche Bank - literally "German Bank" - is Germany's largest nationwide bank. While it has a reasonable number of branches, it also has gained a reputation for treating less-profitable customers with disdain, although individual members of staff can be very friendly.

Dresdner Bank

The Dresdner Bank is one of Germany's largest nationwide banks. Despite its name it is headquartered in Germany's banking capital, Frankfurt am Main. It has an impressive building on Pariser Platz but you won't be able to open an account there - it's for representative purposes only.

The Dresdner Bank website doesn't have a single list of branches, but if you enter your postcode in the box marked PLZ on this page you can find the nearest branches to you.