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Let's shape the property sector together!

Aareal Bank Group is an established partner for the property industry. We are continuously refining our service portfolio so as to provide clients with compelling solutions – and are always on the lookout for fresh ideas and innovative approaches that are in line with our strategy. 
Company founders are a very good source of such innovations. They have the courage and creativity to energise new and existing business models. This is why we want to collaborate with them, and why we have pooled our involvement with them in our Group-wide Start-Up Programme.

Network, cooperate and learn from each other

Our Start-Up Programme aims to specifically promote cooperation with start-ups, allowing us to shape the future of the property industry together. We want to identify the drivers for digital development, boost our own innovative ability and expand our product portfolio in specific areas. The goal in all cases is to generate real added value for our customers. And we offer company founders more than just financial support. As our partners, they also have access to our extensive partner network and in-depth sector expertise.

One programme – three fields of activity

At Aareal Bank, we cooperate with fintechs, proptechs and other start-ups in three different ways:

1. Partner networks

Our partner networks pool support programmes to provide start-ups with financial resources, mentoring and training schemes. This allows them to focus on developing their ideas and making them ready for the market. 

Our experience with start-ups was very promising right from the start – reason enough for us to start working with Plug and Play, the world's largest start-up platform. Together with TechQuartier, Plug and Play founded the Fintech Europe innovation platform in Frankfurt in 2018, with Aareal Bank as a founding member. This has allowed us to collaborate with start-ups from the national and international financial sector, and to develop applications relevant to our clients. 

2. Partnerships

Innovative ideas here, sector expertise and connectivity with existing systems there – collaboration between start-ups and Aareal Bank Group, as an established player in the property industry, makes perfect sense for both parties. And it is our clients who ultimately reap the most benefits. A few examples:

3. Strategic equity investments

In March 2022, Aareal Bank took over payment solutions provider CollectAI. Based in Hamburg, this fintech offers an AI-driven order-to-cash platform that lets property companies collect receivables more rapidly, intelligently and sustainably. CollectAI supplements Aareal Bank Group's existing platform offering, opening up potential new markets and client groups.

At the start of 2019, Aareal Bank acquired plusForta, a market-leading provider of tenant deposit guarantees in Germany. These have become an established alternative to cash bonds and are accepted as tenant security guarantees. plusForta arranges these guarantees via the online platforms kautionsfrei.de and kautionsfuchs.de. The service is aimed at tenants of residential apartments and commercial property.

OSRE B.V. has designed a digital solutions platform that makes property sales and rentals more efficient. The added value of OSRE B.V.'s digital platform is the complete automation of transaction processes related to the property industry. From advertising through checking current and prospective tenants, down to onboarding and signing contracts – companies are able to implement transactions more quickly, more smartly and more reliably. The investment was made in April 2019.​

In mid-2019, Aareal Bank invested in PropTech1 Ventures, a venture capital fund specialising in European proptech start-ups. The sector-specific fund focuses on the property industry. Our investment in PropTech1 Ventures, which is in the mid single-digit millions of euros, continues our strategic agenda of exploring relevant property sector ecosystems.

In July 2020, Aareal Bank invested in objego, a joint venture together with energy services provider ista. This proptech from Essen was founded in 2020 and offers private landlords an intelligent property management solution. The cloud-based management software provides straightforward service charge billing, financial management and digital documentation management. We sold our equity investment to ista in the summer of 2023. 

Interested? Then get in touch!

Do you have ideas or possible solutions that could offer real added value to our clients from the world of property? And are you looking for an established partner to help you make your innovations a reality? If so, then please get in touch with us. We look forward to hearing from you.

Your contact person

Henning Zander
+49 611 348 2009
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