CFA Society Germany
CFA Society Germany is the German member society of CFA Institute, the global association of CFA charterholders and investment professionals. With more than 3,000 members it describes itself as the largest professional association for investment professionals in Germany. The registered association works for high ethical and professional standards in the investment industry.
The members of CFA Society Germany are charterholders, experienced professionals without the charter and candidates who are still working through the three levels of the CFA Program. The society offers them lectures, webinars, workshops and conferences as well as continuing education across the country. Its working groups write position papers and surveys on pensions, sustainability reporting and capital market strategies.
Mission, advocacy and working groups
CFA Society Germany argues for binding transparency and industry standards and for effective regulation of the German financial center. The German Advocacy Committee speaks for the society on capital market, regulatory and policy topics at national and European level. Further working groups cover capital market strategies, audit quality, pensions, financial literacy, behavioral science, ESG risk assessment and ESG ratings.
In January 2026 the society published seven recommendations for the reform of state-subsidized pensions in Germany (in German). The paper calls for lower costs, no guarantees during the savings phase and a stronger focus on the capital market. In a separate member survey on the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (in German), finance professionals asked for simpler European rules.
Membership categories and fees
CFA Society Germany offers four membership categories with different fees and voting rights. Charterholder members and professional members, who have long experience in finance without holding the charter, pay 120 US dollars a year and vote at the annual general meeting. Associate members, who take or have taken a certificate of CFA Institute, pay 99 US dollars, and the local candidate membership costs 75 euros.
The membership year for charterholders and professional members runs from 1 July to 30 June and does not renew automatically. Members attend most events of the society free of charge and collect professional learning credits for their continuing education.
Events in Frankfurt and other cities
CFA Society Germany runs about 100 events a year, from lectures and webinars to workshops, conferences and networking evenings. Most take place in Frankfurt or online, and further events are held in Munich, Hamburg, Düsseldorf and Berlin. Some formats, such as the lunches in Hamburg and the regulars table in Munich, are open to members only.
In August 2025 the society celebrated its 25th anniversary (in German) with more than 150 guests at the Hilton Frankfurt. Dr. Helmut Henschel, the founding president, recalled how a small group of enthusiasts started the society in 2000.
Upcoming fintech and finance events in Germany
Executive board and supervisory board
Susan Spinner leads CFA Society Germany as chief executive and chair of the executive board, which also includes Prof. Dr. Mathias Moersch and Heinrich Ey. Prof. Dr. Matthias Meitner chairs the supervisory board, and Jens Kummer is his deputy. Further members of the supervisory board are Hilko de Brouwer, Inka Germann, Christian Hendker, Alexander Plenk, Edith Theile and Thimo Worthmann, all of them CFA charterholders.
CFA Program and candidates in Germany
The CFA Program of CFA Institute has three levels, and most candidates in Germany prepare for the exams alongside their jobs. The candidate membership is open to candidates and to Level III graduates who still lack the required work experience. Candidate members get events, mock exams, mentoring, study groups and a closed LinkedIn group, and new charterholders receive their charter at the Charter Award Ceremony.
Since 2010 CFA Society Germany has organized the German round of the CFA Institute Research Challenge, in which university teams write a research report on a listed company. Twelve teams from eleven universities analyzed the chemicals group BASF for the 2026 round, and a team from the business school WHU won the final in Frankfurt (in German).
ESG certificate and research award
CFA Society Germany promotes the Sustainable Investing Certificate of CFA Institute, a self-study course of about 100 hours on how to bring ESG factors into the investment process. The final exam has 100 multiple-choice questions and can be taken at a test center or online from home.
Every year the society awards the CFA Germany Investment Research Award, worth 1,000 euros, for published investment research by professionals and students in Germany. The 2025 award went to Katja Scherer and Bernd Scherer for a paper on the climate premium of ESG and climate indices compared with conventional indices.
Office and register in Frankfurt
The office of CFA Society Germany e.V. is in the Schillerhaus at Schillerstraße 20 in 60313 Frankfurt am Main. The association is registered at the district court of Frankfurt under the number VR 11928 and is represented by Susan Spinner.
CFA Society Germany and Finance Loop
Finance Loop members and charterholders in Germany work on many of the same questions, for example how AI changes investment research and how tokenized funds fit into the portfolios of asset managers. Finance Loop holds events on these topics in Frankfurt and in other financial centers across Europe.
Finance Loop is a professional network and has the goal of driving the institutional use of emerging technologies in finance, such as AI, tokenization, stablecoins, and DeFi. Finance Loop helps its members build skills and personal networks in these fields: Investment & Digital Assets, Payments & Digital Money, Digital Infrastructure & Sovereignty, and Risk & Compliance.