ABSTRACT
The potential of investors with average investable funds is substantial but still unexploited. Surveys unveil that private households in Germany are in general interested in sustainable investments, to which social impact investing and thematic investments belong to. Banks have only partially responded with an offering of sustainable and thematic investment products to this willingness to invest with and for impact. In Germany, banks are in a historically unique economic and structural turnaround since the subprime crisis, mainly due to the erosion of interest margins of their dominating business fields in commercial banking. An increase of social relevant acting of banks is demanded by a growing number of politicians, non-governmental organizations, and financial supervisory authorities. Impact investing is currently establishing itself in more and more countries, but still plays a minor role in the banking business.
