Times have become unpleasant for SMEs: volatile markets, technological upheaval, high investment pressure. If you want to keep up, you need capital and partners who can assess risks without immediately stepping on the brakes. This is precisely where akf group is repositioning itself. The Wuppertal-based specialist financier is sharpening its brand image and in future will show more clearly who it belongs to: the Vorwerk Group.

Proximity to the middle class

It is a step that is intended to be more than just cosmetic. akf-Bank wants to make more visible what it has stood for for decades: Financing solutions with industry expertise, proximity to SMEs and the aspiration to make entrepreneurial development possible. In future, it will therefore appear with a new logo, revised brand architecture and a clearly recognizable Vorwerk reference.

"akf-Bank has built up a strong position in its sectors over decades. Now we are demonstrating this strength more clearly to the outside world - both as an independent company and as a significant part of the Vorwerk Group," says Dr. Frank Henes, CEO of akf-Bank. "Our aim is to support companies, retailers and manufacturers in such a way that investment projects turn into real development. This requires financing partners who understand markets, think entrepreneurially and create solutions that fit the needs. This is exactly how we see ourselves: we support instead of just managing."

The figures give the company confidence: annual turnover of EUR 673 million, new business volume of EUR 1.37 billion. akf-Bank is one of the established financing partners of German SMEs, particularly where machinery, vehicles, equipment or technological infrastructure need to be financed.

Affiliation to the Vorwerk Group emphasized more strongly

It is no coincidence that the affiliation to the Vorwerk Group is now being emphasized more strongly. In economically uncertain times, stability is gaining in importance as a brand message. The new look of akf-Bank therefore focuses on dark green, clear lines and the addition "endorsed by Vorwerk". The specialized business divisions are given their own color and design worlds, but remain part of a common umbrella brand.

"akf-Bank is a real success story within the Vorwerk Group," comments Hauke Paasch, CFO of Vorwerk. "It combines long-term thinking with entrepreneurial proximity and a high level of advisory expertise. The fact that this connection is now also more visible in the brand image strengthens akf-Bank - and at the same time shows how broad and relevant Vorwerk is today."

'servicelease' becomes 'akf-Mobility'

The new appearance will initially be visible on the group's websites and in online banking from July 1, 2026. At the same time, the name will also change: akf servicelease will become akf-Mobility. This is more than just a rebranding. The group is responding to a mobility market that is becoming more complex, data-driven and flexible.

Holger Büscher, Managing Director of the former akf servicelease and future akf-Mobility, puts it this way: "With the change of name from akf servicelease to akf-Mobility at the same time as the rebranding of akf group, we are taking account of the increasing complexity of mobility. akf-Mobility will stand even more strongly for integrated and flexible mobility concepts in a changing work and mobility market." And further: "With the rebranding, we are strengthening our role as an enabler of progressive mobility."

Financing solutions for companies that need to invest

In terms of content, the Group remains true to its core business: financing solutions for companies that need to invest - in machinery, fleets, energy projects or robotics. It offers loans, leasing, installment plan, purchase and sales financing as well as factoring. The consultants often come from the respective industries themselves or have been supporting them for years.

Dr. Frank Henes describes his own aspirations with a sentence that is both a claim and an attitude: "Everything we do is guided by the motto: The bank that is different is a bank that makes a difference. With heart and mind, we design holistic solutions that inspire - in partnership, with deep industry insights and at eye level. And we have been doing so for almost sixty years."

Perhaps that is the real message of this rebranding: in an economy that is changing ever faster, reliability itself is becoming a brand.