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| Best Global bank: Deutsche Bank |
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| Also nominated: Itaú Unibanco and Standard Chartered |
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| see also: * Deutsche's Ackermann confounds his critics ...again * Integration key to reshaping Deutsche’s investment banking * Deutsche Bank CEO succession issue won’t go away * Award acceptance speech |
Deutsche Bank’s management is very proud of its refitted, remodelled headquarters in Frankfurt. Its twin towers have become a beacon of eco-friendliness. Its management committee room has a plasma screen so big it would not look out of place at a football stadium. And, just above the lobby, it has installed a brand space, where you can learn everything you ever wanted to know about the bank.
Deutsche has often had a problem with its brand: for some it’s too German, to others it’s not German enough. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, many critics saw it as too reliant on its investment bank, a division which some said was far too reliant on risk for the health of the group itself.
Aside from a sharp reversal in 2008 – when it was hardly the only bank to suffer – Deutsche has actually performed remarkably well throughout the near 10-year reign of chief executive Josef Ackermann.