Association of Cooperatives Bavaria

The Genossenschaftsverband Bayern e.V. (GVB), known in English as the Association of Cooperatives Bavaria, is the statutory auditing association and service organization for the Bavarian cooperative movement. Headquartered in Munich, it is part of the German cooperative financial network (Genossenschaftlicher Finanzverbund). The GVB is a registered association (eingetragener Verein) and serves as the umbrella body for cooperatives across Bavaria, including Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken as well as enterprises in agriculture, energy, trade, crafts, and services. The association's core tasks are fourfold: auditing, consulting, education and training, and interest representation. Its auditors work according to the German Cooperative Act (Genossenschaftsgesetz) and other legal provisions to ensure the economic stability of Bavarian cooperatives. The GVB advises its members on legal, tax, business management, and strategic matters. Through its educational institutions, it offers programs for the training and further education of member cooperatives. As an advocate, it represents the interests of its members in politics and public affairs. As of December 31, 2024, the GVB had 1,201 members, including 180 Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken and 1,021 companies from sectors such as agriculture, energy, trade, crafts, and services. These members employ around 50,000 people and have approximately 2.9 million shareholders, making the GVB one of the largest medium-sized business organizations in the Free State of Bavaria. The association employs around 500 staff, about half at its Munich headquarters and half as field auditors (as of December 31, 2022). The GVB traces its roots to the mid-19th century cooperative movement inspired by Hermann Schulze-Delitzsch and Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen. The oldest commercial credit cooperative in Bavaria, the "Münchner Darlehens-Verein (mit Solidarhaft)," was founded in 1862. In 1922, the commercial regional associations founded in 1867, 1900, and 1902 merged to form the "Bayerischer Genossenschaftsverband e.V." In 1946, the Bavarian regional association was renamed "Bayerischer Raiffeisenverband e.V." Finally, in 1989, the Bayerischer Raiffeisenverband e.V. and the Bayerischer Genossenschaftsverband e.V. merged to form the "Genossenschaftsverband Bayern (Raiffeisen/Schulze-Delitzsch) e.V." with its seat in Munich. Beyond its core activities, the GVB supports social and educational engagement through additional institutions: ABG GmbH, the Hotel am Badersee in Grainau, the Raiffeisen/Schulze-Delitzsch Stiftung bayerischer Genossenschaften, and the Historischer Verein bayerischer Genossenschaften e.V. From 2012 to 2020, the GVB awarded journalism prizes for the Bavarian Volks- und Raiffeisenbanken: the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Raiffeisen-Preis on economic education and the Hermann-Schulze-Delitzsch-Preis on consumer protection, each endowed with 8,000 euros, plus a 4,000-euro advancement prize for young journalists on digitalization. The association is led by a board (Vorstand) with Stefan Müller as chairman and president, Gerhard Walther as chairman of the association council and honorary president, and Alexander Leißl as a board member.

The Genossenschaftsverband Bayern e.V. (GVB) traces its origins to the mid-19th century, when the first cooperatives were formed in Germany based on the principles of self-help, self-responsibility, self-administration, and the identity principle, inspired by Hermann Schulze-Delitzsch and Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen. In Bavaria, the oldest commercial credit cooperative, the "Münchner Darlehens-Verein (mit Solidarhaft)," was founded in 1862. As the cooperative movement grew, individual cooperatives began to form regional associations to better carry out their tasks and to avoid the introduction of state supervision. Membership in an association eventually became mandatory. In 1922, the commercial regional associations founded in 1867, 1900, and 1902 merged to form the "Bayerischer Genossenschaftsverband e.V." In 1946, the Bavarian regional association was renamed "Bayerischer Raiffeisenverband e.V." Finally, in 1989, the Bayerischer Raiffeisenverband e.V. and the Bayerischer Genossenschaftsverband e.V. merged to form the "Genossenschaftsverband Bayern (Raiffeisen/Schulze-Delitzsch) e.V.," headquartered in Munich. Over the decades, the GVB has evolved into a comprehensive service provider for Bavarian cooperatives. It employs around 500 staff, about half at its Munich headquarters and half as field auditors. As of December 31, 2024, it represented 1,201 members, including 180 Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken and 1,021 companies from agriculture, energy, trade, crafts, and services. These members collectively employ around 50,000 people and have approximately 2.9 million shareholders, making the GVB one of the largest medium-sized business organizations in Bavaria. In addition to its core tasks, the GVB has established several affiliated institutions for social and educational engagement: ABG GmbH, the Hotel am Badersee in Grainau, the Raiffeisen/Schulze-Delitzsch Stiftung bayerischer Genossenschaften, and the Historischer Verein bayerischer Genossenschaften e.V. From 2012 to 2020, the GVB awarded journalism prizes for the Bavarian Volks- und Raiffeisenbanken: the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Raiffeisen-Preis on economic education and the Hermann-Schulze-Delitzsch-Preis on consumer protection, each endowed with 8,000 euros, plus a 4,000-euro advancement prize for young journalists on digitalization. Notable winners included Medienwerkstatt Franken (2014), Christiane Hawranek (2015), Philipp Grüll and Frederik Obermaier (2016), and Katrin Langhans and the Katholische Journalistenschule ifp (2018).

• 2020

  End of the GVB journalism prizes.

• 2012

  Start of the GVB journalism prizes for Bavarian Volks- und Raiffeisenbanken.

• 1989

  Merger of the Bayerischer Raiffeisenverband e.V. and the Bayerischer Genossenschaftsverband e.V. to form the "Genossenschaftsverband Bayern (Raiffeisen/Schulze-Delitzsch) e.V." with seat in Munich.

• 1946

  Renaming of the Bavarian regional association to "Bayerischer Raiffeisenverband e.V."

• 1922

  Merger of the commercial regional associations founded in 1867, 1900, and 1902 to form the "Bayerischer Genossenschaftsverband e.V."

• 1900

  Founding of another commercial regional association.

• 1867

  Founding of one of the commercial regional associations that later merged into the GVB.

• 1862

  Founding of the "Münchner Darlehens-Verein (mit Solidarhaft)," the oldest commercial credit cooperative in Bavaria.

The statutory auditing association and service provider for Bavarian cooperatives, part of the German cooperative financial network.

• Statutory auditing

  Auditing of member cooperatives according to the German Cooperative Act and other legal provisions.

• Consulting

  Legal, tax, business management, and strategic consulting for Bavarian cooperatives.

• Education and training

  Programs for the training and further education of member cooperatives through GVB educational institutions.

• Interest representation

  Advocacy for member interests in politics and public affairs.

1. 1Genossenschaftsverband Bayern - gvb/websitegv-bayern.de
2. 2Genossenschaftsverband Bayern - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
3. 3Association of Cooperatives Bavaria - Wikidatawikidata.org