Deutsche Bank's headquarters in Frankfurt were raided by German tax investigators on July 22, 2026, marking the third such operation this year. The investigation centers on alleged tax fraud linked to "cum-cum" transactions at the bank's Postbank division, purportedly occurring between 2008 and 2010. These transactions, which exploited loopholes in the tax system shortly before dividend payouts, are estimated to have cost the German financial sector approximately €7 billion.
The bank acknowledged the presence of Duesseldorf prosecutors at its office, collaborating with the ongoing inquiry. Germany's financial watchdog, BaFin, had previously highlighted the severe impact these cum-cum transactions had on the country's financial landscape. The German authorities have been making persistent efforts to recover the significant tax losses to the state coffers resulting from this complex tax evasion scheme.
This raid follows previous investigations earlier in 2026. In late January 2026, the Federal Criminal Police Office searched premises in Frankfurt and Berlin concerning suspected money laundering and related offenses. In early 2026, German federal police also conducted a raid on the Frankfurt headquarters and a Berlin branch as part of a major money laundering probe, focusing on unnamed individuals and bank employees. This history of repeated scrutiny underscores persistent regulatory concerns regarding Deutsche Bank's financial practices.
