GLS Bank terminated the accounts of the executive committee of the German Communist Party (DKP) and numerous affiliated organizations as of December 31. The bank cites its terms and conditions and the clause allowing termination without cause as the reason. The DKP strongly protests this clearly politically motivated action.

“Even institutions that define themselves as ‘alternative,’ like GLS Bank, are retreating, in part, into the trenches of reactionary-militarist societal transformation. This is scandalous, but it is part of the ongoing preparations for war,” said Patrik Köbele, Chairman of the DKP. “This strengthens our resolve to intensify the struggle against the propensity for war and for the defense of democratic rights—as well as our international solidarity with socialist Cuba, which is being held against us in light of the sanctions that violate international law.”

Background:

So-called debanking, the closure of bank accounts for political reasons, is not a new phenomenon, and these are not isolated incidents. Years ago, for example, the Postbank board decided to close the accounts of certain parties and organizations as an “important contribution to political hygiene.” The measures were, according to the formal argument, intended to target right-wing structures, but were then frequently used against left-wing groups. Numerous organizations, media outlets, journalists, and activists lost their bank accounts, usually without explanation and mostly without public attention.

The DKP (German Communist Party) executive committee has been a long-standing customer of GLS Bank and has further expanded its business relationship in recent years. GLS Bank has raised no objections and therefore has no economic reason to critically examine or even terminate its cooperation with the DKP.

The first friction in the relationship between the German Communist Party (DKP) and GLS Bank arose when a GLS employee urgently requested information about the use of our accounts in September 2025, specifying in her email: “I particularly need information about the fundraising campaign for Cuba.” The DKP Executive Committee provided all the requested information on time but received no explanation, even after further inquiries, as to why the information was needed.

This inquiry from GLS Bank regarding the DKP’s solidarity activities for socialist Cuba was followed by the written termination of the DKP’s accounts effective December 31, 2025. Afterward, GLS Bank representatives were no longer available to speak with the DKP.

The bank has since confirmed that the termination applies to all accounts belonging to the DKP Executive Committee’s client base. Consequently, the newly established cooperation with several DKP branches will also end at the end of 2025. At the same time, GLS Bank announced that new account openings for DKP branches were not possible.