Press Conference “Risks in BaFin’s Focus”, 28 January 2026
Opening Statement by Mark Branson
Investment Management regulatory updates from Germany.
Opening Statement by Mark Branson
The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) warns consumers about the services offered in WhatsApp groups operated by Leading Asset Management, Denver, USA. BaFin suspects the operators of offering consumers financial, investment and cryptoasset services in these groups without the required authorisation.
The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) warns consumers about the services offered by Aureus Trade. BaFin suspects the unknown operators of the website aureus-trade(.)com of offering consumers financial, investment and cryptoasset services without the required authorisation.
The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) warns consumers about the services offered on the website bxforex(.)com. According to information available to BaFin, this website is being used to offer financial, investment and cryptoasset services without the required authorisation.
The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) warns consumers about the company Rostock24 Limited and the services it is offering. BaFin suspects the unknown operators of the website rostock24(.)com of offering consumers financial, investment and cryptoasset services without the required authorisation. Rostock24 Limited, which purportedly has its head office in Nuremberg, claims to be registered with the British Companies House. This is not the case.
The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority BaFin warns against fixed-term deposit offers sent from the email address info[at]vcgmanagement.de. According to information available to BaFin, the unknown providers are conducting banking transactions without the required authorisation. The offers do not originate from VC Germany Management GmbH. This is a case of identity theft.
The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) warns consumers about the services offered on the website bb-consults(.)com. BaFin has information that this website is being used to offer financial, investment and cryptoasset services without the required authorisation.
The German Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) warns about offers from the website two-five-management(.)com. According to information available to BaFin, the unknown operators of the website are offering banking services, in particular fixed-term deposits, and financial services without the required authorisation. They give the impression that their offers originate from TwoFive Management GmbH, which is registered with BaFin as an AIF asset management company, Section 2 (4) of the Germa...
The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority BaFin warns against offers on the website whiterock-financial(.)eu and against the alleged operator White Rock Financial Consultancy Limited from London, United Kingdom. According to information available to BaFin, the operator is providing financial and investment services without the required authorisation.
The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority BaFin warns against offers on website fragfinanz(.)com. According to information available to BaFin, banking transactions, especially fixed-term deposits, financial or investment services are being provided by FragFinanz without the required authorisation.
Alleged employees of Brookfield Asset Management GmbH are contacting investors unsolicited by telephone and email without the necessary permission to offer them alleged fixed-term deposits and alleged pre-IPO shares. In the past, they have also used the website deu-brookfield(.)com, which is no longer accessible. They give the impression that they are cooperating with licensed banks and issuers of pre-IPO shares. This is not the case.
The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority BaFin warns against offers on the websites ubpmanagement(.)co, commerzglobal(.)com, longsharks(.)com and paribasgroup(.)net. According to information available to BaFin, the companies UBP Management and Commerz Global, allegedly based in Frankfurt, and Longsharks Capital and Paribas Group, allegedly based in London, are offering financial or investment services and crypto asset services without the required authorisation. The offers do not originate...
The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority BaFin warns against offers on the website fidelity-ag(.)com. According to information available to BaFin, banking transactions, especially fixed-term deposits, financial or investment services are being provided on this website without the required authorisation. The fixed-term deposit offers are sent, among others, from the email address festgeld[at]fidelity-ag(.)com. The offers do not originate from the Swiss company Fidelity Treuhand und Verwaltu...
According to information available to the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin), unknown persons are using Telegram groups and chats to contact German investors. The initiators of these messenger groups purport to be the US company “MacKay Shields”. This is a case of identity fraud.
In the WhatsApp groups, investors are recommended to invest in financial instruments that can then be traded via the platform h5.bluealphasystem(.)net or the aforementioned app.
The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority BaFin warns against offers in WhatsApp groups, which are allegedly operated by Cantor Fitzgerald and led by Leopold Schneider. BaFin is not aware of the existence of this person. According to information available to BaFin, recommendations for the purchase of financial instruments and cryptocurrencies, which can allegedly be traded via CDAfin app, are offered in various WhatsApp groups. According to the current state of knowledge, there is no connec...
The German Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) warns about offers on the website capitalholdings(.)icu. According to information available to BaFin, the unknown operators of the websites are offering banking transactions and financial services without the required authorisation.
The German Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) warns about fixed-term deposit offers from the website sicherangelegt(.)de. According to information available to BaFin, the unknown operators of the website are offering banking services, in particular fixed-term deposits, without the required authorisation.
The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority BaFin warns against offers in WhatsApp groups, which are allegedly operated by Baird Capital and led by a Thomas Becker. BaFin is not aware of the existence of this person. According to information available to BaFin, recommendations for the purchase of financial instruments and cryptocurrencies are offered in WhatsApp groups and the so-called Baird Capital Investment Program III is being promoted. According to the current state of knowledge, there ...
The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) has sufficient grounds to suspect that TPK Vermögensverwaltungs KG is offering securities to the public in Germany in the form of shares in AuA 24 AG without the required prospectus. There are no indications that the conditions for exemption from the prospectus requirement are met.
The German Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) warns against WhatsApp groups such as „S373 Robeco Kernmitgliedergruppe“, “M2 Robeco Value Investing Kreis“ and „999 Robeco Investment Strategiezentrum - Blockhandel“, which are allegedly operated by the Frankfurt a.M.-based company Robeco Deutschland, Zweigniederlassung der Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. („Robeco“). In the WhatsApp groups consumers are enticed to trade financial products via the app „RBC NL“. It is suspected that...
The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) warns consumers about “bearer bonds” being offered for subscription by Marketplace24-7 GmbH on the website non-dom(.)group. BaFin suspects the company of conducting banking business without the required authorisation. The company is furthermore suspected of making an unauthorised public offer of securities without a prospectus. Under the German Securities Prospectus Act (Wertpapierprospektgesetz - WpPG), a prospectus is required for an offer...
On 16 December 2025, BaFin imposed two administrative fines amounting to €560,000 on flatexDEGIRO Bank AG. The company had contravened obligations under the German Securities Trading Act (Wertpapierhandelsgesetz - WpHG). At the beginning of 2022, flatexDEGIRO Bank AG advertised free investment services on two of its websites without clearly indicating that a processing fee would be charged on a regular basis. flatexDEGIRO Bank AG adapted its practices to comply with the legal requirements in ...
BaFin imposed €560,000 in administrative fines on flatexDEGIRO Bank AG on December 16, 2025, for misleading marketing of investment services that advertised free offerings without clearly disclosing mandatory processing fees. This enforcement action underscores BaFin's strict interpretation of fair and transparent marketing requirements under the German Securities Trading Act (WpHG) and demonstrates that even corrective action taken by firms does not eliminate regulatory penalties for past violations.
The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority BaFin warns against offers, in particular offers to purchase shares and alleged pre-IPO shares, which are purportedly brokered by Ambassador. According to information available to BaFin, Ambassador Management GmbH, supposedly based in Frankfurt am Main, Ambassador Financial Group Ltd. and Ambassador Global Systems LLC are providing financial or investment services without the required authorisation. According to the current state of knowledge, there...
The Financial Supervisory Authority BaFin has issued warnings regarding offerings found on websites maxfuledge(.)com and trading-area.maxfuledge-v2(.)com/auth/register. Based on its investigations, the purportedly London or Singapore-based trading platform MaxFulEdge offers unauthorised financial services, securities transactions, and cryptocurrency-related services. The platform promotes its offerings through supposed customer service representatives (maja.weis(at)maxfuledge.team and sophia....