Bürgerbewegung Finanzwende

The Bürgerbewegung Finanzwende is a registered association founded in 2018 in Berlin that advocates for fair, stable, and sustainable financial markets that serve the people. Founded by Gerhard Schick, a former member of the Bundestag from Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, and other prominent figures such as Christoph Bautz, Norbert Blüm, and Peter Eigen, the association aims to create a civil society and non-partisan counterweight to the financial lobby.

The main mission of the Bürgerbewegung Finanzwende is to create financial markets that benefit people and society, rather than the other way around. The association advocates for combating financial crime, establishing a stable financial system, environmentally friendly financial markets, consumer protection in financial products, and fair rules in financial markets. A central concern is to reduce the influence of the financial lobby and promote transparency and regulation in the financial sector[1][2].

• Educational Work and Research Activities: The association conducts extensive educational work and research activities, primarily through the non-profit organization Finanzwende-Recherche. These include studies, signature campaigns, and organizing demonstrations[1].
• Consumer Protection: Finanzwende advocates for the protection of consumers in financial products, for example, by criticizing unprofitable products like the Riester pension and campaigning against Schufa and other financial service providers[1][4].
• Lobbying and Transparency: The association works to make the activities of the financial lobby more visible and understandable. This includes demands for more transparency, payment caps on secondary activities of judges, and further regulations on conflicts of interest[2].
• Ecological Financial Transition: Finanzwende promotes environmentally friendly financial markets and criticizes greenwashing practices in the financial industry. It advocates for a sustainable financial economy that takes climate protection into account[1][4].

• Climate Protection: The association is committed to a financial economy that supports climate protection and prevents greenwashing. Examples include campaigns against coal investments and for sustainable investment[4].
• Social Justice: Finanzwende advocates for social justice by fighting against unfair tax privileges and for a fair distribution of resources. For example, the association demanded that money from the national rescue fund should not flow to banks but should be used to cover costs arising from the financial crisis[2].
• Financial Stability: The association works towards creating a more stable financial system by opposing bank handouts and advocating for stricter regulation of the financial industry. An example of this is the demand for a dividend ban for companies receiving state support[1][4].

Finanzwende has achieved numerous successes in recent years, including the introduction of a ban on purchasing real estate with cash and the extension of the gas price cap to include a dividend ban for companies receiving state support. The association has also significantly contributed to the establishment of a transparency register that makes lobbying activities traceable[2][4].

With over 11,000 members and a strong public presence, the Bürgerbewegung Finanzwende tirelessly advocates for a fair, stable, and sustainable financial economy that serves the needs of people and society.

• 1 - https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%BCrgerbewegung_Finanzwende
• 2 - https://www.finanzwende.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Dokumente/Jahresbericht_2022_digital.pdf
• 3 - https://www.finanzwende.de/ueber-uns/team
• 4 - https://www.finanzwende.de/ueber-uns/wer-wir-sind/fuenf-jahre-fuer-die-finanzwende
• 5 - https://www.finanzwende.de