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Last update : December 2006
Background
GLS Bank is the first ethical-ecological bank in Germany.
The bank was founded in 1974 and currently over 3.400 projects aiming
towards the future are financed.
GLS stands for Community bank for Loans and Gifts. In focus are cultural,
social and ecological initiatives, initiated by people, and not anonymous
interest seeking capital or maximum profit. The bank works with transparency
and thus all the credit projects, together with information on the
development of the bank itself, is published in the magazine "Bankspiegel".
Structure
The institutions are run by different Boards of Directors, strongly united by a close cooperation. Supervisory boards also linked in cooperation take care of the legal control functions working on the main issues of the bank together with the management. At least once a year there is a general meeting of all members at various places. On these occasions, practical and fundamental problems arising out of the bank’s work are discussed amongst managers, members of the supervisory board, staff oft the bank and guests interested in the problems of new ways of handling money, capital and investment.
Activities
The GLS Bank transfers their depositors' money as loans to independent schools and kindergardens, ecological farms, curative- and social-therapeutical initiatives, projects for the unemployed, health-food-stores and communal living-projects, as well as commercial projects. As of 30 November 2006 the total balance was 645 million EUR.
Offers from the GLS Bank are among others:
Current Accounts
GLS Savings Accounts
GLS Savings Certificates
GLS Future Accounts
Term-Deposits
Bank Membership
When deposits are made with a low interest GLS Bank is able
to grant loans to certain projects with an interest that only covers the
basic loan administration costs of the bank (in 2006 3.5 % p.a.).
The successful work of the bank has been enormously supported by actually
more than 13.300 cooperative members who have subscribed for shares.
The GLS Bank has its Head Office in Bochum and has established branches in
Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Freiburg and Hamburg. GLS Bank is cooperating closely
with the GLS Treuhand e.V. Bochum and the GLS Beteiligungsaktiengesellschaft.
The bank is part of the german "Bundesverband der Deutschen Volksbanken und
Raiffeisenbanken" and their guarantee system for depositors money.
The GLS Treuhand e.V. (Charitable Trust Foundation), founded in 1961,
is an association of more than 370 charity organizations. The GLS Treuhand
e.V. has gained comprehensive experience in the structuring of donations,
large fortunes and dealing with wills and estates. Fundraising and
consulting in the field of private legacies as well as the transfomation of
business into charitable capital are its main areas of activity. At present
a major emphasis is also put on the sector of small private donations.
The GLS Treuhand e.V. acts as a charitable trust administrating various
foundations and supporting the social, ecological and cultural aims of its
charitable member-organizations.The total balance as of 30 November 2006
amounted to nearly 50 million EUR.
Among the theme Foundations of GLS Treuhand aiming towards the future are:
Agriculture
Education
Health care
Social work and living
Development aid
The GLS Beteiligungsaktiengesellschaft (BAG) was
founded in 1995 and is a subsidiary owned by GLS. Its objective is to help
cooperating companies in finding equity capital. The capital stock amounts
to 1,7 million EUR. BAG has Funds for renewable energy and the social
economy. It has also established a fund for the purchase of the
power-supply-system of Schönau, a small town situated in the Black Forest,
Germany. A substantial part of the BAG investments are for windmill parks
which is a growing energy source in Germany. The capital of the funds of BAG
adds up to a volume of over 60 million EUR.
Key Figures
(GLS Bank)
in Thousands EUR |
2000 |
2003 |
2006 (30/11) |
| Total balance sheet | 188.5 | 443.2 | 645.0 |
| Total deposit | 167.1 | 382.1 | 549.0 |
| Credits/Loans | 103.7 | 247.9 | 359.0 |
| Staff | 71 | 140 | 160 |
GLS offices
Bochum
PO box 10 08 29, D-44708 Bochum Visiting address: Christstraße 9, 44789
Bochum
phone: +49-234-5797-0 fax: +49-234-5797-133
Stuttgart
Haussmannstrasse 50, D-70188 Stuttgart - phone: +49-711-2 38 95-0 fax
+49-711-2 36 08 12
Frankfurt
Am Hauptbahnhof 6, D-60329 Frankfurt am Main - phone: +49-69-2 56 10-0 fax:
+49-69-2 56 10-190
Freiburg
Merzhauserstr. 177, D-79100 Freiburg - phone: +49-761-2 07 89-0 fax:
+49-761-2 07 89-90
Hamburg
Mittelweg 147, D-20148 Hamburg - phone: +49-40-41 47 62-0 fax: +49-40-41 47
62-44
