Frankfurt am Main, 10 June 2026. Under this year’s theme, “Innovative Strategies for Lending and Risk Management”, the NPL community gathered at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management on 10 June 2026 for the 21st edition of the NPL Forum. The annual conference, organised by the Frankfurt School Forum in close cooperation with the Bundesvereinigung Kreditankauf und Servicing (BKS), once again brought together experts and senior executives from banks, servicing companies, supervisory authorities, academia and consultancy. Prof. Dr. Christoph Schalast chaired the day’s proceedings; the conference was opened by Ulrich Martin, Head of the Frankfurt School Forum, followed by a welcome address from Dr. Marcel Köchling, who had been elected BKS President just the day before.
Opening Sessions: Regulation, the Economy and Geopolitics
Michael Theurer, Member of the Executive Board of the Deutsche Bundesbank, opened the programme with his keynote “Stability as a Strength: Why Smart Regulation Makes Banks More Competitive”. Dr. Jörg Krämer, Chief Economist of Commerzbank, then turned to the macroeconomic picture, asking whether the German government’s substantial fiscal stimulus risked fizzling out. In the Morning Talk, Prof. Dr. Christoph Schalast discussed geopolitics as a risk factor – and the options available to German industry – with Dr. Manuel Kallweit (Chief Economist, German Association of the Automotive Industry, VDA) and Dr. Jörg Krämer. It was a theme that would run through many of the day’s conversations.
Technology and the Future of Consumer Lending
In his keynote on the strategic requirements for a technology-driven universal bank, Christian Rhino, CIO Private Bank at Deutsche Bank, showed just how profoundly new technologies are already reshaping banking. Christoph Kuban, General Manager at Revolut, followed with a presentation on the current role of consumer credit in the product portfolio of an innovative universal bank.
In the keynote panel that followed, moderated by Prof. Dr. Christoph Schalast, Dr. Daniel Drummer (CFO, auxmoney), Oke Heuer (Member of the Management Board, Sparkasse zu Lübeck), Christoph Kuban (Revolut), Kerstin Smailus (Member of the Management Board and CRO, Santander Consumer Bank) and Kristina Trink (Member of the Management Board and CRO, DKB) discussed how markets, products and risks in consumer lending are evolving.
The Afternoon: Assessing and Managing Risk – and, When Necessary, Resolving Banks
Christian Heichele and Karsten Neiteler (KPMG) opened the afternoon with a presentation on risk scenarios and their implications for consumer, commercial and real estate lending. In the panel that followed, leading risk professionals shared their perspectives on assessing and managing credit risk: Melanie Abels (KfW IPEX-Bank), Katrin Alter (Commerzbank), Nikola Kopp (ING Germany) and Frank Stöfer (Helaba).
A rare look behind the scenes of a bank resolution followed: Prof. Dr. Urs Lendermann (Deutsche Bundesbank University of Applied Sciences) spoke with Miro Zadro, liquidator of OWH SE i. L. and former Member of the Management Board of VTB Bank (Europe), about the background to the case and the lessons learned.
BNPL and CCD2: Regulation Meets Innovation
In the late afternoon, attention turned to Buy Now, Pay Later. Following a presentation by Dr. Sebastian Schnelle (Analytics Director, CRIF) on BNPL and the new EU Consumer Credit Directive (CCD2), a distinguished expert panel debated the challenges and opportunities of its implementation: Jacob von Ingelheim (Unzer), Ulf Linke (BaFin), Johannes Müller (institut für finanzdienstleistungen – iff) and Dr. Sebastian Schnelle (CRIF), with Prof. Dr. Christoph Schalast once again moderating.
Looking Ahead: AI Commerce and the Future of Shopping
The day closed with a look at the future of digital commerce. In her keynote, Andrea Becker, Member of the Executive Board for Finance, HR & Services at OTTO, showed how Germany’s largest online retailer is transforming its business model – from the catalogue era through today’s hybrid platform to AI commerce, in which AI assistants guide customers through the entire shopping journey.
In the Future Talk “Next Generation E-Commerce”, Prof. Dr. Georgia Liadeli (Frankfurt School) joined Andrea Becker and Eberhard Wirtz (SVP Group Sales Channel Excellence, Douglas) to explore how shopping and consumer behaviour are changing in the age of AI – from conversational shopping experiences to what will delight customers in the future. It was a highly relevant outlook for BKS members: as transactions become increasingly AI-driven, receivables management, risk management and servicing will need to be rethought too.
Conversations That Connect
As in previous years, the NPL Forum thrived just as much on the conversations away from the stage: during the breaks and at the closing reception, the foyer of the Frankfurt School was abuzz with networking, discussion and fresh ideas.
Our thanks go to all the speakers, our conference partners, the Frankfurt School Forum team and everyone who attended for making it such an inspiring day. We look forward to seeing you again at NPL Forum 27 on 16 June 2027!
