About us
About the BKS
BKS | The European NPL Alliance is the professional association representing investors and servicers active in the non-performing loan market – defining standards, safeguarding members’ interests and shaping the regulatory agenda.
Who we are
A professional voice for the NPL market
The Bundesvereinigung Kreditankauf und Servicing e. V. (BKS), founded in 2007, is a professional association based in Berlin. It represents creditor-side companies that deal with non-performing loans (NPLs) in Germany – both investors who purchase these loans and servicers who manage or recover them.
As the only dedicated NPL association in Europe, the BKS now extends this work beyond Germany: under the banner of BKS | The European NPL Alliance, it opens its standards, advocacy and network to investors, servicers, banks and advisers across the continent.
The BKS pursues several important goals:
- Defining and safeguarding the professional interests of its members
- Developing, refining, and establishing uniform rules and standards for the trade and management of NPLs
- Participating in relevant legislative projects
It also promotes the exchange of experience between investors and servicers, upholds the standing of the profession through professional and corporate-governance rules, supports education, training and academic research in the NPL field, and maintains international contacts within the sector. To these ends, the BKS holds events, Expert Groups and training, issues publications, represents the sector in public, and develops guidelines and standards.
Membership and Financing
Individuals and organisations whose work is predominantly concerned with NPLs can become members of the BKS. Supporting memberships are also available. The BKS is funded primarily through membership fees and is listed in the lobby register of the German Bundestag.
Organisational Structure
The bodies of the BKS are:
- The General Meeting
- The Executive Committee
- The Advisory Board
The Executive Committee comprises the President, two Vice Presidents, the Treasurer and seven Associate Committee Members. Supported by the office, it runs the association’s affairs and represents it externally. The office manages the association’s day-to-day business on behalf of the Executive Committee. The Advisory Board, appointed by the Executive Committee, advises it and develops guidelines and standards for the NPL market. The General Meeting is the highest body: it elects the Executive Committee, decides on amendments to the Articles of Association and sets the guidelines for the association’s work.
In short, the BKS gives its members a platform for exchange, representation and professional development in a demanding field that matters for the functioning of the credit market. As a professional association, it is committed to professional standards, legal certainty and the responsible handling of non-performing loans.
Our office
Visit us in Berlin
In Berlin, a few steps from the German Bundestag – where the association’s work comes together.
The office
The Berlin office supports the Executive Committee in day-to-day operations: it coordinates the association’s work, organises conferences and events, looks after members, and is the first point of contact for policymakers, public authorities, the media and the wider public.
Your contacts (left to right): Jan Dzieciol, Head of Market Development & Communications · Cristina Bachmeier, Legal Counsel.
Getting here & contact
Marienstraße 14, 10117 Berlin
Close to the German Bundestag, between the S/U Friedrichstraße and Hauptbahnhof stations.
Public transport: By bus to „Marschallbrücke“ · S/U Friedrichstraße (U6, S1, S2, S25, S5, S7, S75).
Phone: +49 30 204534-15 · info@bks-ev.de
Since 2007
Milestones
Since its founding in 2007, BKS has shaped the development and professionalisation of the German – and now European – NPL market, from the first professional standards to the transposition of the EU NPL Directive.
Along the way, the association has fed industry expertise into landmark legislation, established its Code of Conduct, and built a standing voice with supervisors and policymakers.
Key dates
2006
First NPL Forum in Frankfurt
Organisation of the first NPL Forum in Frankfurt.
2007
Founding of the BKS
Founded as the representative body for credit purchasers and servicers in Germany.
2008
Code of Conduct & Risk Limitation Act
Introduction of the BKS Code of Conduct and incorporation of industry interests into the Risk Limitation Act.
2013
Act against Unfair Business Practices
Incorporation of industry interests into the Act against Unfair Business Practices.
2018
GDPR & EU Directive
Cooperation on GDPR implementation in the NPL sector and start of support for the EU Directive on credit servicers and credit purchasers.
2019
Data-protection opinion
Commissioning of an expert opinion on the data-protection permissibility of transferring personal data in portfolio acquisitions.
2023
NPL Directive transposed
Successful transposition of the NPL Directive into national law.
2025
20th NPL Forum
20th NPL Forum at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management.
