Bank im Bistum Essen
Bank im Bistum Essen eG (BIB) is a cooperative bank based in Essen, Germany. It serves not-for-profit and ethical, sustainable organisations and their staff, including the Catholic Church and its institutions such as hospitals, foundations, church housing, homes for the disabled and retirement homes. Private staff members can also become customers. BIB is one of four Catholic church banks in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Founded in 1966, BIB focuses on sustainable banking under the motto FairBanking. In 2012 it opened to customers who are not church members. The bank uses ESG criteria for its investments and measures its environmental impact with an internal life-cycle assessment.
Its products include ethical and sustainable funds and microfinance funds, which the bank both manages and invests in. It was the first German bank to let private customers invest in microfinance via a passbook. The foundation Kirche und Caritas supports regional, national and international projects.
Financially, the bank had assets of about €5.1 billion and 4,419 members in 2018. In 2023 it reported a net profit of over €30 million and raised the dividend for members to 3.5 percent. The bank finances a large private microfinance portfolio, supporting more than 750,000 people worldwide.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 23:08 (CET).