Awards for Excellence 2008: Germany

Best bank:  Commerzbank  Best investment bank: Deutsche Bank

Commerzbank’s Mittelstand business has held up well and continues to show momentum despite the difficult economic backdrop. The unit, which focuses on the backbone of corporate Germany, reported that it had near record net interest income in the first quarter of 2008 thanks to high loan and deposit growth and stable margins.

The private and business customers unit also bounced back after a tough fourth quarter in 2007 to report results on a par with record levels and an impressive net influx of 100,000 new customers in the first quarter of 2008.