Berenberg

Instagram, Polo News

Berenberg German Polo Masters with record attendance

8. August 2024

Glorious sunshine on the final Sunday and huge numbers of spectators – that’s the great result of this year’s Berenberg German Polo Masters on Sylt. Team König Sylt, the local sponsor, came out on top ahead of Transgourmet and Berenberg.

König Sylt has been a team sponsor of the Berenberg German Polo Masters for ten years and has helped to shape the traditional sporting event over the last decade. This anniversary could not have been crowned more beautifully than with yesterday’s victory. Team König Sylt last stood at the top of the podium in 2018.

Transgourmet Cook had been able to maintain a tie until the third chucker, but the outstanding Argentinian 6-goaler Raul Laplacette made it increasingly difficult for his opponents to keep up with him thanks to perfect team play with his compatriot Agustin Kronhaus, Jan-Hendrik Többe and Johannes Wimmer. Nevertheless, Team Transgourmet Cook with Kutlay Yaprak and Lukas Sdrenka from Polo Club Düsseldorf as well as “The Machine” Cristobal Durrieu and Jorgita Reta put in a strong performance.

Klaus Naeve: “High-calibre matches”

In the match for third place, Team Berenberg with the successful Argentinian-German quartet of Udo Klein-Boelting, Dr Jürgen Schröder, Andres “Lala” Laplacette and Pedro Llorente managed to pull out a narrow victory over Aston Martin Hamburg Nord-Ostsee Automobile to take home the bronze medal. Klaus Naeve, Head of Wealth and Asset Management at title sponsor Berenberg: “We are delighted with this third place and would like to congratulate the players. What a great backdrop and atmosphere here on the final day on Sylt. We have experienced five days of strong equestrian sport, high-calibre matches and loud support for the polo teams! The Berenberg German Polo Masters on Sylt are always a special highlight for us and we are already looking forward to seeing you again next year.”

Frederick Többe and Henri Grimme, two of the most talented young players in German polo, were in the saddle for the Aston Martin Hamburg Nord-Ostsee Automobile team, who were able to rely on the experience of Sven Schneider and Matias Maiquez.

In the match for fifth place, Vanessa Schockemöhle, Sebastian Schneberger, Patrick Maleitzke and Juan Correa from Team burckhardt’s glide were beaten 9:11.5 by Team Polo Sylt. Sophie and Moritz Schmidt, two of the best young players in Germany, together with former champion Christopher Kirsch and Argentinian Gines Bargallo Jr. had delivered an exciting intergenerational match.

The long-standing charity partner of Polo Club Sylt and the Berenberg German Polo Masters, Dunkelziffer e.V., also showed its colours again this year and was able to make a contribution to the purely donation-based work of the club by selling high-quality wristbands designed by Polo Sylt.

Accompanied by huge cheers from the audience, the young Frederick Többe from Hamburg received the “Most Valuable Player” award this year. The “Best Playing Pony” was the mare “Poka” from Kutlay Yaprak.

Organiser Kiki Schneider: “We welcomed several thousand visitors over five sunny days with the best of weather. Between applause and cheering, super exciting and fair games, but also strolling through the exhibitors’ pagoda village, children playing, smiling guests and simply relaxed summer moments, everything was there. Thanks to our partners and the best audience you could wish for.”

Glorious sunshine on the final Sunday and huge numbers of spectators – that’s the great result of this year’s Berenberg German Polo Masters on Sylt. Team König Sylt, the local…

Polo News

Berenberg achieves its best ever result

31. January 2022

• Net profit for the year increases by 57% to €170.1 million
• Return on equity reaches 82.7%
• Investment bank revenue rises up by 35% to €471.6 million
• 113 capital market transactions provide companies with €31.6 billion in capital

Hamburg. In 2021, Berenberg achieved the best result in its 432-year his-tory. The net profit of €170.1 million achieved operationally in 2021 ex-ceeded the already very good previous year’s result of €108.2 million by 57%. This resulted in a return on equity of 82.7% (PY 52.0%).

“Across all business areas, we were hugely successful in growing our business in 2021,” says Hendrik Riehmer, Managing Partner. “With our business model – aligned to providing independent advice – as well as impressive performance, we were able to win many new clients and assets in our core markets of Germany, the UK, Europe and the US.”

“Our Investment Bank has achieved a record year: Capital market transactions up 114%, Equity Trading up 50%, expansion of covered companies and market share gains in research”, David Mortlock, Managing Partner, explains the main drivers for this outstanding result. “Strong new business in Wealth Management and high inflows of funds from our high-performing investment funds in Asset Management and the credit fund range in Corporate Banking also led to the highest net commission income ever achieved,” Riehmer states.

Net commission income rose from €415.6 to €572.5 million (+37.8 %) in the reporting year. Revenues in the Investment Bank alone rose from €350.5 to €471.6 million (+34.6 %). Net interest income, a metric less relevant for the result and our business model, fell as expected from €55.8 million to €37.5 mil-lion (-32.8 %) due to perpetually ultra-low interest rate levels. Trading profit increased from €6.8 to 8.7 million (+29.3 %), while other operating result, which in the previous year was shaped substantially by major non-operating effects, normalised from €17.7 million to €9.7 million (-45.2 %).

Berenberg has invested further in strengthening its high-performance business model. Thus, the number of employees in the group increased from 1,573 to 1,703 (+8.3%). Both personnel expenses (from €226.5 to €274.4 million; +21.1%) and material costs (from €115.5 to €129.4 million; +12%) increased significantly. “In 2021, we were once again able to attract excellent employees to continue our growth. Personnel expenses increased due to strong staff growth, as well as variable salary components attributable to the outstanding financial year. We were also able to use our earnings situation to make targeted investments in our IT and drive forward the digitalisation of our business processes. In doing so, we guarantee our customers a first-class service and also increase the efficiency of our processes in the medium term,” explains Christian Kühn, Managing Partner.

The return on equity rose significantly from 52.0% to 82.7%. The cost-income ratio improved from 70.9% to an excellent 65.8%. The ratio of current net interest income to net commission income shifted further in the direction of net commission income and, at 6:94 (PY: 12:88) underscores the out-standing importance of commission business. The Tier 1 capital ratio stood at 13.3 % (PY: 13.5 %), thereby being comfortably above the regulatory requirements. 2021, we not only strengthened our Tier 1 capital through a capital in-crease, but also further built up the core capital on balance by issuing AT1 funds. The bank’s total capital was significantly increased from €295.5 million to €341.7 million. As a result, the T1- ratio is a strong 15.4 % (PY: 13.5%). The total capital ratio rose from 15.7% to 17.4%.

Net new assets in Wealth and Asset Management amounted to €4.2 billion, total assets under management rose from €41.3 billion to €44.8 billion (+ 8.5%). It should be considered here that assets under management of €5.6 billion were lost in the reporting year due to the discontinuation of Overlay Management and the transfer of business to a cooperation partner.

Total assets increased significantly from €4.7 billion to €6.4 billion (+37.0%), in particular, due to a strong increase in liabilities to customers due on demand, which were predominantly invested as credit balances at central banks on a daily basis. The increase resulted from an expansion of business in Wealth and Asset Management, as well as in Equity Capital Markets. Here, the companies advised on IPOs and issues temporarily invest part of the cash inflows generated with Berenberg.

The bank has taken advantage of what was once more a strong earnings situation, and has already formed all of the provisions to be made until 2022 in accordance with the new regulations for general loan loss provisions (BFA7). “We did not need to record any specific valuation allowances in our credit business in the reporting year. When considered alongside the high amount added to the general valuation allowances at an early stage, this reflects our prudent and conservative governance approach,” says Kühn.

Wealth Management

Berenberg Wealth Management focuses on providing a range of investment services for very wealthy private investors, family entrepreneurs and decision-makers, as well as foundations and other non-profit organisations. The core service is asset management, where clients can choose from a variety of strategies that consider different risk-return profiles. “In 2021, almost all of our asset management strategies outperformed their benchmarks, as did almost all in-vestment funds,” Riehmer says. Therefore, an increasing number of clients are turning to portfolio management. Berenberg, however, also continues to offer tailored investment advice from a regulatory perspective, in which the client makes the investment decisions in dialogue with the advisor.

“The need for personal advice on complex assets remains steadfast. This re-quires competent and experienced advisers who understand the circumstances of their customers. Digital solutions, such as the Berenberg Wealth Management Portal, round off the range of services on offer.”

Asset Management

Berenberg Asset Management is active in two key areas: It stands for fundamental expertise in equities, in a way rarely found in Germany (“Equity Funds”) and for globally active investment strategies and funds with a European focus (“Multi-Asset”). Of the 21 Berenberg funds with the necessary track record of three years, 18 currently have a 4- or 5-star rating from Morningstar due to their strong performance. “The success and performance of our investment funds are reflected, on the one hand, in the strong increase in assets under management, but also in the numerous awards we received in 2021,” says Riehmer. Another item worthy of mention here is the Scope Award as “Best Asset Manager” in the category Specialised Providers and the Refinitiv-Lipper Award as “Best Equity Fund Manager Europe” in the category Small Asset Managers.

“The cornerstones of our strategy are fundamental equity analysis, a long-term investment horizon and focused portfolios,” Riehmer explains. In equities, the bank now has first-class products in Germany, Europe, Global, Small Caps and ESG. In multi-asset products, investors focused on offensive and sustainable investment strategies.

Investment Bank

“The Investment Bank continued to grow its business scale significantly and gain market share in 2021,” Mortlock said. The number of companies covered by Equity Research was increased from 1,100 to 1,250. To this end, the number of analysts working in London, New York and Frankfurt was increased from 116 to 129. The 76-strong sales team serves 950 institutional clients in all major financial centres in Europe and the USA. Despite the pandemic-related restrictions, the Bank hosted 30 virtual investor conferences and organised more than 30,000 meetings between investors and the management teams of the companies we analysed.

In Equity Trading, the previous record turnover of €100 billion was exceeded by 50% and now stands at €150 billion. “We were able to further expand electronic trading and are well on the way to becoming the platform with the third largest market share in Europe. A 50 % increase in turnover from corporate acquisitions in the European risk arbitrage business secured us additional market share and fifth place in the overall European risk arbitrage business,” Mortlock explains.

We had another record year in Equity Capital Markets. Here, the bank was once again able to defend its market leadership in the German-speaking region with 21 lead-managed transactions. Activities included the largest German IPO (Van-tage Towers with €2.3 billion) and the capital increase of Siemens Healthineers (€2.3 billion).

In the UK, 32 transactions, including the IPO and three secondary placements (total value £ 586m) of Darktrace were completed. Berenberg now serves 52 companies (PY: 40) in Corporate Broking. We were also able to significantly expand our market share in Benelux. Therefore, the Bank opened a branch office in Brussels in the reporting year. But we are also increasingly being mandated in capital market transactions in both the Nordic countries and Southern Europe.

US business has also developed rapidly. The number of transactions increased from 12 to 18. The IPO of the German electric car company Sono Motors (USD 173 million) on NASDAQ, which we conducted as sole bookrunner, recorded the second-best first-day performance of a US IPO in 2021.

In total, Berenberg completed 113 transactions (PY: 67), with the volume more than doubling from €14.8 to €31.6 billion.

Corporate Banking

Corporate Banking serves capital market-related and medium-sized companies and, in addition to traditional Corporate Banking, includes the sector topics of Shipping and Real Estate, Infrastructure & Energy, as well as the specialised field of Structured Finance. A special focus is on the issuance of credit funds (Private Debt). With 20 credit funds, Berenberg now offers entities such as institutional investors and large single-family offices the opportunity to invest in loans and generate decent returns in a low-interest environment. The focus here is on structured finance, ship loans and projects from the energy and infrastructure sectors. “In the Private Debt asset class, we are one of the fastest growing asset managers in Europe and were recently named “Best Asset Manager Private Debt” by the Scope rating agency,” explains Riehmer. In the discipline of Structured Finance, more than 30 transactions were lead-managed in 2021 and €1.5 billion were invested. Due to strong demand in the energy and infrastructure sectors, two credit funds are to be added to the fund range this year. In the shipping sector, 160 ships with a volume of more than €1 billion are currently financed – due to the prevailing conservative alignment of investment activities and many years of know-how without any performance problems. We place particular emphasis on our conservative and largely constant loan portfolio.

• Net profit for the year increases by 57% to €170.1 million • Return on equity reaches 82.7% • Investment bank revenue rises up by 35% to €471.6 million • 113…

Polo News

Berenberg records best operating result in Bank’s history

27. January 2021

• Net profit for the year up 78.7% to €108.2 million
• Return on equity reaches 52.0%
• Impressive outperformance by wealth and asset management strategies and mutual funds
• 67 capital market transactions, providing companies with €14.8 billion in capital
• Equity trading exceeds volume of €100 billion

Hamburg. Even in 2020, a year dominated by the coronavirus crisis, Berenberg has shown that the Bank is well equipped for all market phases thanks to its high-performing business model. Net profit for the year rose by 78.7% to €108.2 million (previous year: €60.5 million). Berenberg had already grown earnings by 160% in the previous year. Adjusted for extraordinary effects, the Bank’s operating profit is now also the highest it has ever recorded.

“Even in this difficult environment caused by the coronavirus pandemic, we have demonstrated the robustness of our business model”, says Managing Partner Hendrik Riehmer. “I’m proud of the way our business responded to the huge change in working practices. In some of our offices we’ve had up to 95% of our staff working from home. Our investor conferences and roadshows moved online, and everything worked well.”

“Our Investment Bank division is in an excellent position. In addition to a record number of 67 capital market transactions (IPOs and capital increases), which provided companies with a total of €14.8 billion in capital, the Bank also had a record year in terms of trading volumes and we continue to grow market share in research”. This is how Managing Partner David Mortlock explains the main driver behind the outstanding result. “I’m particularly excited about progress we’re making in the UK and US”, Mortlock added. “There were also other factors that led to our recording the highest ever commission income. These included the expansion of our range of funds and our portfolio management in Wealth and Asset Management, which are more than impressive in terms of both performance and increasing volumes, and our extensive range of credit funds”, says Hendrik Riehmer.

Net commission income rose from €355.5 million to €415.6 million in the reporting year (up 16.9%). Net interest income, which is less relevant for earnings, dropped from €63.4 million to €55.8 million (down 12.0%). This was due in the main to the general level of interest rates and the cut in interest rates in the US. Net income from trading activities decreased by 56.8% to €6.8 million (€15.7 million), reflecting the Bank’s prudent approach to uncertain market environments. The other operating result rose from -€2.2 million to €17.7 million and primarily contains the scheduled sale of shares in the former Berenberg Bank (Schweiz) AG, the sale of the business with external asset managers, as well as pension provisions.

Berenberg continued to invest in enhancing the business model. The Group’s headcount rose from 1,474 to 1,573 as a result (up 6.7%). “There were especially significant investments in IT, while costs for travel and marketing naturally dropped off considerably”, says Managing Partner Christian Kühn. While personnel expenses increased from €212.9 million to €226.5 million (up 6.4%), non-personnel costs decreased from €124.3 million to €115.5 million (down 7.1%). “We invest in people, know-how and digitalisation. On the cost side, we are benefiting from narrowing the focus of our business model in recent years”, adds Kühn.

Return on equity rose from 28.5% to 52.0%, while the cost-income ratio also improved from 79.9% to 70.9%. The ratio of current net interest income to net commission income is 12:88 (15:85), which underlines the significance of commission-earning operations. At an excellent figure of 13.5% (12.4%), the tier 1 capital ratio is the second-best in the Bank’s history and testifies to its solid position. The total capital ratio climbed from 14.4% to 15.7%. The Bank’s equity amounted to €295.5 million after the annual financial statements were approved (€287.5 million).

Net new assets in Wealth and asset management amounted to 3.4 billion Euro. Assets under management in the Berenberg Group edged up from €40.7 billion to €41.3 billion (up 1.5%) despite the assets lost through the sale of parts of the business. Total assets declined from €5.1 billion to €4.7 billion.

The Bank took advantage of the repeatedly strong financial performance and has already recognised all of the provisions required by 2022 under the new rules for general valuation allowances (BFA 7). “We did not need to record any specific valuation allowances in our credit business in the reporting year. When considered alongside the high amount added to the general valuation allowances at an early stage, this reflects our prudent and conservative governance approach,” says Christian Kühn.

Wealth Management

Berenberg’s Wealth Management is focused on complex tasks for high net worth individuals, family entrepreneurs, decision-makers as well as foundations and other charitable organisations. Its core service is portfolio management, where clients can choose from a large number of strategies that cater for the different risk/return profiles. “In 2020, all of our wealth management strategies outperformed the market,” says Hendrik Riehmer. “In investment advisory, where clients take decisions in tandem with an advisor, we established an Investment Consulting function in order to offer our clients a unique service in terms of service level, investment quality and long-term results”. In Private Equity (PE), a fully digital offering was created where investments can be made in selected PE funds from a figure of just €200,000. “We see individualised and personal advice as absolutely essential for complex assets. However, this advice is increasingly being complemented by modern digital solutions such as the Berenberg Wealth Management Portal. Clients can use this app any time not only to get an overview of how their assets are developing, but also to look at various evaluations.”

Asset Management

The success of the realignment of Asset Management initiated three years ago is demonstrated impressively by the performance of the mutual funds. Of the 21 Berenberg funds, 17 currently have a 4 or 5-star rating from Morningstar thanks to their strong performance. “In 2020, the funds in our equities platform far outperformed their respective benchmarks once again, and each ranked amongst the top spots compared to competitors. We have been winning over clients and market observers alike with our fundamental stockpicking approach”, explains Hendrik Riehmer. In Equities, the Bank now has first-in-class products in the areas Germany, Europe, Global, Small and Medium Cap and ESG. Average performance in 2020 was 23.8%, which constitutes an outperformance of 18.5%. Multi-Asset Investors were focused on aggressive and sustainable strategies. The Bank is one of the first currency managers worldwide to use alternative data to generate excess returns in Currency Overlay. It is innovations like these that have allowed Berenberg to copperfasten its position as one of the world’s largest active currency managers.

Investment Bank

“The expansion of our Investment Bank division is continuing with great success”, says David Mortlock. A number of milestones were achieved in 2020, which saw the number of covered companies rise from 890 to 1,100. The hiring of additional Senior Analysts contributed to this development. As of the end of the year, there were 89 analysts in London covering 842 companies, with 27 analysts in New York looking at 258 companies. A Research Team comprising around 15 members will be established in Frankfurt this year and will be specially dedicated to German Small and Mid Caps. The Sales Team is one of the best-performing in Europe. It is made up of 53 generalists and eleven specialists who provide assistance to the 950 institutional clients in Europe and the US. “Communication between the stakeholders is particularly important in times of uncertainty”, explains David Mortlock. “This is why we organised more than 30,000 virtual meetings in 2020 between investors and the management of the companies we analyse. There was also major interest in our 30 investor conferences, all of which took place online because of the pandemic.”

Clients produced a new record in equity trading. The numerous activities in March/April and November in particular led to record sales, which exceeded the €100 billion mark for the first time.

There was also a significant jump in Equity Capital Markets. The Bank accompanied a total of 67 transactions (38) with an issue volume of €14.8 billion (€4.4 billion), helping companies to borrow amounts of capital never seen before. A total of eleven IPOs, 44 accelerated bookbuilds and six new convertible bonds were organised. Berenberg reinforced its leading market position in the German-speaking countries. It expanded its presence in France and the Benelux countries as well as entering the Scandinavian and southern European markets. In the UK, Berenberg is now the corporate broker for a total of 40 companies. The Bank’s performance in the US is particularly pleasing. It assisted twelve transactions there, including the IPO for CureVac as well as the issue of subscription rights for BioNTech. Both of those companies are pioneers in the research to find a COVID-19 vaccine.

Corporate Banking

Corporate Banking assists SMEs as well as companies geared to the capital market. Alongside the traditional corporate client business, it encompasses the areas of Shipping and Real Estate, Infrastructure & Energy as well as the special area of Structured Finance. There is a special focus on issuing credit funds. This allows Berenberg to offer third-party investors such as institutional investors and large single-family offices the opportunity to invest in credit together with the Bank. The focus here is on structured finance, ship loans and projects from the fields of energy and infrastructure. “In the Private Debt asset class, we are one of the fastest-growing asset managers in Europe. We can offer our clients strong returns in an environment characterised by low interest rates”, explains Hendrik Riehmer. The volume of illiquid alternative assets grew to €4 billion. No fewer than three of those funds offer possibilities to fund projects in the field of renewable energies. Alongside the core markets like Germany, Japan and Australia, 2020 marked our entry into two additional markets – namely the US and Finland. In the Infrastructure segment, fibre-optic projects are also financed for private investors as fund subscribers. In Structured Finance, Berenberg has established a leading role in the financing of corporate acquisitions with its credit funds. Clients are benefiting from many years of expertise in international shipping through the shipping loan fund, which has been in place for four years now. The fund provides financing for 130 ships and has not suffered any disruption thanks to its conservative approach.

www.berenberg.com · info@berenberg.com

• Net profit for the year up 78.7% to €108.2 million • Return on equity reaches 52.0% • Impressive outperformance by wealth and asset management strategies and mutual funds •…

Europe, Personalities & Clubs, Polo News

Berenberg and Moonfare launch private equity platform for private customers

8. June 2020

• Germany’s oldest private bank teams up with Berlin-based fintech company to offer private equity solutions
• The private equity asset class was highly successful in 2019 and currently offers favourable entry valuations

430-year-old private bank Berenberg and digital private assets investment platform Moonfare, founded in 2016, start a partnership to provide Berenberg customers with digital access to top-tier private equity funds.

Private equity experienced significant growth in 2019, with global assets under management standing in excess of 4 trillion US dollars. The asset class consists of a variety of strategies, such as buy-out, venture capital and growth, and has in previous years consistently out-performed other asset classes. It currently boasts particularly favourable entry valuations, and can also be used to diversify portfolios. Very high minimum levels of investment and restricted access previously meant that investments in private equity were only an option for institutional investors and ultra-high-net-worth families.

“We are delighted to offer our customers outstanding access to this asset class through our cooperation with Moonfare,” says Klaus Naeve, Head of Wealth Management Germany at Berenberg. “The selection of private equity offers, combined with low minimum levels of investment for this asset class and a completely digital process, is unique in the European market,” says Mr Naeve.

Berlin-based fintech company Moonfare allows qualified individuals to invest directly in selected private equity funds starting from a minimum investment of 200,000 euros. Investors will receive access via a digital platform, that allows quick, uncomplicated investments whilst complying with regulatory requirements. Moonfare’s Investment Committee, which consists of experts from the private equity industry, selects top-tier funds through an in-depth due diligence. From this selection of funds, Berenberg then chooses the funds it deems to be the most promising and offers these to its customers.

Berenberg Wealth Management offers each individual customer a personalised service. Berenberg’s advisors draw on an extensive network of specialists to offer customised solutions to their customers, which are always backed by Berenberg’s first-class know-how. With 120 equity analysts, the bank is one of the largest analyst institutes in Europe. Its fund managers received multiple awards, and its competence centres develop specific solutions for entrepreneurs, foundations and family offices.

Thanks to the partnership with Moonfare, Berenberg’s advisors are now able to add top-tier private equity funds to their portfolio recommendations when they match the customer’s investment goals and strategy. Berenberg’s clients benefit from access to high return investments and have the opportunity to further diversify their portfolios to include another asset class. Both the advisors and their clients have direct access to the digital Berenberg/Moonfare platform, where they can review and subscribe for investment opportunities. The platform is optimised for efficient processes, transparent data access and comprehensive reporting. This new development positions the Berenberg/Moonfare platform as the leading private market offering in German private banking.

“Historically, access to private equity funds was exclusive for institutional investors committing more than 10 million euros per fund. By allocating 25% or more to alternative investments, this exclusive group boosted their portfolio returns over decades. We are delighted that our partnership benefits investors by combining Berenberg’s wealth management expertise and tailored advice with Moonfare’s technology and unmatched access to the best private investment opportunities,” says Dr. Steffen Pauls, founder and CEO of Moonfare.

About Berenberg
Founded in 1590, Berenberg is one of Europe’s leading privately owned banks today with its Wealth and Asset Management, Investment Bank and Corporate Banking divisions. Headquartered in Hamburg and led by managing partners, Berenberg maintains a strong presence in the financial centres of Frankfurt, London and New York.

About Moonfare
Moonfare was founded in 2016 and is now active in several European countries and in Asia. The fintech company offers high-net-worth private investors, banks and asset managers access to top tier private equity funds at lower minimum amounts and lower fees than previously available. Investing starts with as little as 200,000 euros in funds that typically require minimums of several million US dollars. Moonfare allows individuals to invest in Private Equity like a professional.

www.berenberg.de/en

• Germany’s oldest private bank teams up with Berlin-based fintech company to offer private equity solutions • The private equity asset class was highly successful in 2019 and currently offers favourable…

Africa, Asia, Europe, In own affaires, Lifestyle, North America, Polo News, South America, Tournaments

The new edition of POLO+10 WORLD is online!

29. May 2020

Available for download on our website for mobile or desktop use or print by subscription at hello@poloplus10.com

POLO+10 WORLD II 20 Desktop

POLO+10 WORLD II 20 Mobile

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Oliver Winter, President | German Polo Association DPV
© Bernhard Willroth

Dear friends of POLO+10, dear Polo friends,

the Covid-19 pandemic and its consequences influence our everyday life during these weeks. The first concern of course is for our families and friends. Protecting their health and limiting the spread of the virus still is our greatest common obligation.

We are all asked to adapt to the current circumstances, follow the restrictions in our sport and the advice for personal distancing where necessary.

And we can see that in following official advice we are successfully fighting Covid-19. As a result in more and more countries the strict measures will be eased in the upcoming weeks, a return to limited training slowly is possible. Polo clubs and stables affected from the restrictions have mastered the special challenges very well. Despite the sometimes limiting possibilities, the care for the horses was and is always upheld. And fortunately the good and close cooperation with the authorities has made it possible to quickly implement individual training plans.

Our Polo clubs and all their staff have made the best of the situation so far, for which I thank them on behalf of all Polo players!

But despite these positive experiences, the Corona virus has also affected our sport noticeably. Especially those of us who live from and with Polo, the coaches, referees, grooms, but also professional players and tournament organizers, have been hit economically by the effects of the pandemic.

We see that individual training in many clubs is possible again, that many of us can continue their work with the horses. Many clubs are currently preparing for a reduced season, so unfortunately we will not see every tournament originally scheduled for this year. Main events such as the European Polo Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan and various big national tournaments are already postponed to 2021. And the training of young people will probably only be possible to a very limited extent in this 2020 season.

Still we should be optimistic for the second half of this year. As soon as possible we will see small tournaments being considered in many places and later in the year we all hope for further liftings of the sanctions and maybe some High Goal events. Polo is a mesmerizing and dynamic team sport. It is our passion to live it and to share it with our family, friends and the many fans and spectators.

We are experiencing strong solidarity in the Polo family and I am very happy to see the support and help offered everywhere. I hope you enjoy this edition of POLO+10 and that we will meet again soon at a Polo ground. Please stay healthy and take care!

Let‘s enjoy Polo!

Oliver Winter, President | German Polo Association DPV

Available for download on our website for mobile or desktop use or print by subscription at hello@poloplus10.com POLO+10 WORLD II 20 Desktop POLO+10 WORLD II 20 Mobile •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• …

Europe, Polo News

Berenberg German Polo Masters Sylt 2019

29. October 2019

Maserati wins the 21^st Berenberg German Polo Masters Sylt 2019 against last year’s winner König Immobilien Sylt. After five breathtaking match days, the legendary polo event attracted more visitors than ever before in beautiful island weather.

More than 10,000 enthusiastic spectators watched the exciting matches in the qualifying rounds and at the final weekend on the grounds of the Polo Club Sylt in Keitum. In addition to the polo matches, the 3^rd Sylt Horse Show and the largest number of exclusive exhibitors to date in their white pagodas at the edge of the field were real crowd-pullers. The ground seems to tremble when the polo horses thunder along the spectators at 60 kilometres per hour and the teams fight for every goal on the over 28,000 square metre playing field. Fair play and the well-being of the horses are the highest priorities in polo. And if you know the most important rules as a spectator, you are right in the middle of the action as a polo newcomer and cheer on your favourites. Together with the English referee Mark Holmes from Cambridge, presenter Jan Erik-Franck explained the „Little Polo 1×1“ to the visitors in an equally expert and entertaining manner and explained the dos and don‘ts of the fast sport to the audience.

Team Maserati finally took the lead 9-8 after a breathtaking final against Team König Immobilien Sylt. König Immobilien Sylt had won all matches of the Berenberg German Polo Masters which had been running since Wednesday.

In the first game of the day for the 5^th place won team Gogärtchen with 7-5,5 against team Lanserhof & Dunkelziffer. In the match for third place, Team Polo Club Sylt & Transgourmet secured 3^rd place with a final score of 9-4. Team Berenberg reached the 4^th place.

Karsten Wehmeier, Head of Communications at Berenberg, Germany‘s oldest private bank, is delighted about the successful tournament: „Berenberg and Polo, Polo and Sylt – they simply belong together. Never before so many visitors have followed the tournament. We are very happy about this great encouragement and about the high interest of the teams to play on Sylt“.

Organizer Stephanie „Kiki“ Schneider: „After last year‘s anniversary event, the 21^st Berenberg German Polo Masters were once again a real highlight in the tournament calendar of international polo sport. A summer in Sylt without the important polo tournament on the Keitumer playground can no longer be imagined. It has become a tradition that we don‘t want to miss in the future. Of course we also owe our success to all our partners and sponsors, to whom I would like to express my sincere thanks once again for their many years of friendly cooperation and joint success. Special thanks also go to the local authorities, helpers, islanders and the Petersen and Franzen families for their unique support. They make the tournament what it is today, next to the great spectators“.

In addition to the games, visitors could marvel at the stands of various exhibitors and let themselves be inspired. The converted aluminium Airstream caravan from Sigma, which presented highly professional lenses and cameras, caught the visitors‘ eye. The Italian sports car manufacturer Maserati was not only represented as a team at the tournament, but also exhibited the new Maserati Levante Trofeo with a powerful V8 engine and 580 hp. Visitors also had the opportunity to see classic Maserati cars such as the rare Ghibli SS from 1972 and a Maserati Indy 4.9 from 1973. La Martina, which has been an integral part of the polo spectacle for many years, has provided the teams and visitors with trendy polo clothing.

As in previous years, catering in the VIP area also offered the highest culinary delights. For the ninth time already, it will be hosted by Hamburg‘s Nobelbrasserie „Die Bank“, which is known far beyond the borders of the Hanseatic city for its first-class and unusual cuisine.

www.polosylt.de

RANKING

1. Maserati (+8)
Marc Aberle (0)
Giordano Magini (+1)
Tim Ward (+3)
Micky Duggan (+4)

2. König Immobilien (+8)
Cedric Schweri (0)
Stefan Locher (0)
Joao Novaes (+5)
Thomas Astelarra (+3)

3. Polo Club Sylt & Transgourmet (+8)
Matthias Grau (0)
Christian Grimme (0)
Eduardo Anca (+5)
Tuky Caivano (+3)

4. Berenberg (+8)
Jo Schneider (0)
Sven Schneider (+1)
Santos Anca (+5)
Christopher Niffy Winter (+2)

5. Gogärtchen (+8)
Reinhold Hoffmann (0)
Patricio Gaynor (+4)
Cristobal Durrieu (+4)
Alexandra Ott (0)

6. Lanserhof & Dunkelziffer (+7)
Jan-Hendrik Többe (0)
Thomas Winter (+3)
Agustin Kronhaus (+4)
Oliver Winter (0)

© Thomas Wirth

Maserati wins the 21st Berenberg German Polo Masters Sylt 2019 against last year’s winner König Immobilien Sylt. After five breathtaking match days, the legendary polo event attracted more visitors than…

In own affaires, Polo News

15 Years – Statements for POLO+10

1. July 2019

15 years ago – Easter 2004 – the very first edition of POLO+10 was published. Many thanks for all the congratulations and greetings we received from all over the world for this anniversary!

Morgan Van Overbroek & Sébastien Le Page, Owners Polo Park & Country Club Zürich
“Happy birthday POLO+10 and Thomas Wirth! With you in charge of our magazines’ layout and publications we are sure that our members and customers all around the world will be blown away by quality and professionalism. We wish you all the best for the coming years!

Tony Ramirez, Polo Photographer, Images of Polo
“Congratulations POLO+10 and Happy 15th Birthday. Having known your magazine since the start, I have seen it grow and improve over the years. It has also been a pleasure working with you on several polo events all over the World. Let’s continue the good work promoting polo over many more years to come.”

Horacio Areco, President of the federation of International Polo (FIP)
“On behalf of the Federation of International Polo we extend our heartiest congratulations to POLO+10 on its 15th anniversary. You have always been on the top of the list for serving the polo community with your quality information, articles and photography. We wish you all the success for many more years to come.”

Nicholas J.A. Colquhoun-Denvers, Past President FIP
“It gives me great pleasure to congratulate POLO+10 on their 15th Anniversary. Always a stylish, quality magazine covering polo at all levels around the world with wonderful photography and great editorials. May you go from strength to strength!“

Dr. Piero Dillier, Vice-President Federation of international Polo
“Hello Thomas Wirth and the POLO+10 Team, congratulations to you and your team on your anniversary! And, above all, great recognition, because today your magazine is one of the top polo publications worldwide. You will convince the world of polo with comprehensive information and serious research, and polo fans with beautiful pictures and stories. All this is certainly a good basis for the future of your magazine. Good luck and see you soon!”

Jo & Kiki Schneider, Polo Club Sylt
“Dear POLO+10 Team, After 15 years your passion for the sport of polo remains unbroken and can be felt in every issue and article. Thanks to your commitment, a global sport can be brought together to form a community. You are simply great – thank you very much and our heartiest congratulations on your 15th anniversary.“

Karsten Wehmeier, Berenberg bank
“15 years POLO+10 – how time passes. I still remember today the first issue that Thomas Wirth and I launched together! POLO+10 was founded at the same time as Facebook. The reach of the American social media company has not been reached, but today POLO+10 has a similar significance for polo sports. You look forward to the magazines and are provided with the most important news online. I look forward to the coming years!”

Melissa Ganzi, Owner Grand Champions Polo Club
“Happy 15th Anniversary POLO+10. On behalf of Grand Champions and Aspen Valley Polo Clubs we would like to congratulate you on your first 15 years and here is to another successful 15 years. We are very thankful of what you do for polo around the world and appreciate the coverage you give our clubs, tournaments and players.”

Uwe Zimmermann, Polo Estancia Budapest, Beach Polo Rovinj
“Thank you for 15 years of friendship and successful cooperation and for the great coverage of our polo activities in this world and for always kindly accompanying and supporting us. We look forward to the continuation of this, and your success story. Thank you for your work, your commitment and your enthusiasm …. It is wonderful that you exist!”

Cédric Schweri, Poloplayer Switzerland
“As with all new projects, pioneers are needed. The magazine POLO+10 has taken on this pioneering role and designed an exciting and interesting magazine for our polo community. I wish you continued success and only the best.”

Jan-Erik Franck, „The Voice of Polo“ Commentator, Player, Coach
“There are often only just a few specialised sports publications that capture the readers attention immediately. From the iconic front cover images to the very last page, POLO+10 does just that for the sport of polo. Superb photography and gripping articles, and always something new and different. I always look forward to next issue.”

Thomas Strunck President Polo Club Timmendorfer Strand e.V.
“Feliz Cumple and Happy Birthday to the 15-year POLO+10 anniversary. We from the Polo Club Timmendorfer Strand e.V., PoloPark Berlin and Baltic Polo Events GmbH would like to thank the team of POLO+10 and Thomas Wirth for the 13 years of perfect cooperation and are looking forward to many beautiful issues and beautiful reports of the worldwide polo tournaments, in which POLO+10 is regularly represented. To the next 15 years!”

Markus Gräff, Poloplayer, Breeder, Founder PPZ
“I would like to express my sincere thanks for the good cooperation over the past 15 years. Your professional appearance has always adapted to the high demands in recent years. We wish you continued success.”

15 years ago – Easter 2004 – the very first edition of POLO+10 was published. Many thanks for all the congratulations and greetings we received from all over the world…

Europe, In own affaires, Polo News

POLO+10 at the Berenberg German Polo Masters Sylt

13. March 2019

In 2019 POLO+10 will again be responsible for press and media relations at the Berenberg German Polo Masters Sylt in Keitum.

The 21st edition of Berenberg German Polo Masters Sylt will take place from 31 July to 4 August 2019. The traditional polo highlight is one of the big events on the island and in European polo sport. Polo has been at home on Sylt for over 20 years. Back then – in 1998 – it was some visionaries who launched the first chukkers on the pitch in Keitum.

In the following years, the “Berenberg German Polo Masters” became a permanent institution in the calendar of the international polo community. International teams and players are highly motivated again this year and will play for the coveted challenge cup.

In addition to the polo matches, the exhibitors will once again be presenting a highly attractive range of products and services. The gastronomy awaits with freshly prepared delicacies and the children can romp extensively in the children’s area with bouncy castle.

www.polosylt.de

In 2019 POLO+10 will again be responsible for press and media relations at the Berenberg German Polo Masters Sylt in Keitum. The 21st edition of Berenberg German Polo Masters Sylt…

Europe, Polo News

Berenberg „Best Private Bank in Germany“

15. November 2018

Global Private Banking Awards 2018: Berenberg is “Best Private Bank in Germany” for the eighth time in a row. For 18 years Berenberg is firmly established in the sport of polo and present at numerous tournaments at home and abroad. This makes the private bank one of the longest-term partners of the sport of polo in Germany. This long-term thinking is no accident – consistency comes naturally to Germany’s oldest privat bank. Now Berenberg was named the Best Private Bank in Germany for the eighth time in a row.

Privatbank Berenberg has been named “Best Private Bank in Germany” at the Global Private Banking Awards. For the tenth time, the “Financial Times Group” with its specialist magazines “The Banker” and “Professional Wealth Management” presented this prestigious award. In the annual awards ceremony, Germany’s oldest private bank was the only bank in the world to receive an award for the eighth time in succession.

“We are proud to be able to build on the excellent ratings of previous years,” says Dr. Hans-Walter Peters, spokesman for the personally liable partners of Berenberg. “If a company has been in existence for 428 years, then one must always be open to change and actively tackle the challenges of the future. We have expanded our radius and consistently aligned our business model to the needs of our customers. In the future, too, we want to further expand our position as a provider of complex assets.”

Banks from over 60 countries were examined by the independent jury, which evaluated the corporate and growth strategy as well as customer relationship management. It also examined the extent to which the institutions are aligning their portfolio management, asset management and product strategy with the needs of their customers.

Founded in 1590, Berenberg is today one of Europe’s leading private banks, with approximately 1,600 employees in its Wealth and Asset Management, Investment Banking and Corporate Banking businesses. The Hamburg-based bank is managed by general partners and has a strong presence in the financial centres of Frankfurt, London and New York.

www.berenberg.de

Global Private Banking Awards 2018: Berenberg is “Best Private Bank in Germany” for the eighth time in a row. For 18 years Berenberg is firmly established in the sport of polo…