Deutsche Bank to propose 50% dividend increase at Annual General Meeting

Deutsche Bank (DB) published the text of the speeches to be given by its Chairman, Alexander Wynaendts, and its CEO, Christian Sewing, at its Annual General Meeting on May 22, 2025. The bank will propose a dividend of 68c per share to this year’s AGM, a 50% increase compared to the previous year. A share buyback program worth EUR750M is currently underway which, when completed, would bring cumulative capital distributions to shareholders to EUR5.4B since 2022. In his AGM speech, Sewing reiterated management’s plans for further distributions this year: “We have applied to the European Central Bank for a further share buyback for the second half of the year,” he said, facilitated by the bank’s “robust capital base and strong organic capital generation.” Sewing also reconfirmed the bank’s plans to distribute more than EUR8B euros for the years 2021 to 2025, payable in 2022-2026. “We intend to stick to this course and use the bank’s growing financial leeway to continue to increase returns to shareholders, while investing in growth and, most importantly, in our clients,” he said. Both Wynaendts and Sewing emphasized that they see the bank as well-equipped for the current geopolitical and macroeconomic environment. Wynaendts pointed to the momentum for political reforms in both Brussels and Berlin and Germany’s decision to use its fiscal leeway. Sewing also sees the bank’s business model as well suited for the current environment marked by elevated economic uncertainty and sees an increasing demand for a European alternative in global banking.