Münster, December 17, 2025 – The strategy, IT and management consultancy zeb and gfb Gesellschaft für Bankorganisation have announced the start of their cooperation effective since November 1, 2025. The partnership combines the reach, network and resources of zeb as the market leader in the European financial services industry with the agility of gfb, a highly specialized benchmarking provider. The new cooperation will enable zeb and gfb clients to realign and measurably improve structures, processes and the degree of vertical integration.

“With gfb, we have found a partner who fits perfectly with our innovation strategy, as they exhibit a high level of expertise in the field of benchmarking at cooperative banks and see the market with fresh eyes,” explains Sandra Douqué, Partner at zeb. “This cooperation enables us to respond to client needs even more quickly and to specifically expand our consulting expertise with a forward-looking approach.”

For gfb, the partnership with zeb opens up extensive opportunities for deeper market penetration. “The cooperation with zeb gives us access to new markets and new client groups,” says Alexander Stich, Managing Partner of gfb. “At the same time, we can demonstrate our innovative benchmarking solutions to a wide range of clients on a larger scale.”

The newly agreed partnership is based on complementary strengths. With its specialized benchmarking expertise, gfb promotes the identification of client-specific optimization potential in the financial sector, while zeb can transform these findings into future-proof concepts in the banks’ overall business and operating models. Both partners recognize the cooperation’s high potential for easily, sustainably and effectively increasing their clients’ competitiveness and strengthening their own market position.