Frankfurt School of Finance & Management

Frankfurt School traces its origins to 1957, when Professor Dr Karl Friedrich Hagenmüller and Dr Dr h. c. Reinhold Sellien founded the Bankakademie e.V. (Banking Academy) on the premises of the Gabler publishing house in Wiesbaden. Its initial mission was to provide professional training for bank employees.

In 1966, the Bankakademie e.V. was restructured and evolved into the Frankfurter Bankakademie e.V., with regional private banking associations and the National Association of German Cooperative Banks as members. Its programme portfolio was also developed and expanded.

By 1972, the Bankfachwirt programme had become the primary component of Bankakademie e.V.’s professional education portfolio. In the same period, the portfolio expanded to include Management and Bank Betriebswirt certification courses. Later, seminars and training programmes were introduced.

In 1990, the institution established the Hochschule für Bankwirtschaft (HfB), a higher education institution focused on banking and finance education. In 1992, the International Advisory Services (IAS) unit was created to support advisory and training projects in developing and emerging economies.

In 1995, the first cohort of 35 students completed their business administration degrees at HfB. The programmes combined academic study with vocational training or part-time employment, and included mandatory international work placements. In 2004, HfB was granted the right to award doctorates.

On 17 January 2007, Frankfurter Bankakademie e.V. and Hochschule für Bankwirtschaft formally merged to form Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. Since January 2008, the institution has operated as a non-profit company with limited liability (gGmbH), supported by the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management Foundation.

In the winter semester of 2017/18, Frankfurt School moved to its current campus on Adickesallee in the Nordend district of Frankfurt am Main. The campus was constructed between 2014 and 2017.

Other locations

Frankfurt School also operates a campus in Hamburg, which opened in 2011 in the HafenCity district. Additional study location is maintained in Munich. In 2025, Frankfurt School opened an executive education centre in Dubai.

International Advisory Services

The International Advisory Services (IAS) department of Frankfurt School of Finance & Management has operated since 1992 and provides consultancy, training and educational services in the field of financial sector development. Its activities focus on areas including sustainable finance, financial inclusion, and institutional development in banking and financial systems.

IAS works with public and private sector organisations, including development banks, governments, central banks and financial institutions. Its projects are primarily carried out in developing, emerging and frontier economies, and include advisory, research and capacity-building activities related to banking, small and medium-sized enterprises, agricultural finance and sustainable investment.

Research

Frankfurt School is a higher education institution active in business and management research, with a large faculty and 12 research centres focusing on specific areas of research. Around 100 faculty members publish research in international peer-reviewed journals, present at academic conferences, and participate in joint research projects with industry practitioners.