Deutsches Aktieninstitut honours "Deutschland im Plus" with the Meritum Award of German Business 2025

The "Deutschland im Plus" association receives the Meritum Award of German Business, which is endowed with 25,000 euros. The prize will be awarded on 6 May 2025 at the annual reception of Deutsches Aktieninstitut in Bonn. Melanie Kreis, President of Deutsches Aktieninstitut, recognises the association's commitment to strengthening financial education, raising awareness of the risks of private over-indebtedness and offering help for self-help.

The Nuremberg-based foundation "Deutschland im Plus" is committed to combating over-indebtedness among private households and pursues an important socio-political goal by providing financial and economic education. With its commitment, it aims to sensitise young people to the correct handling of money at an early age and to further promote help in the event of over-indebtedness. Since 2007, the organisation has supported the annual over-indebtedness report published by the Institute of Financial Services (IFF).

"In 2024, 5.65 million people in Germany were considered over-indebted. In addition to unemployment and consumer behaviour, a lack of general financial education is one of the reasons for over-indebtedness among the under-25s," emphasises Melanie Kreis, President of Deutsches Aktieninstitut. "Our award winner this year has been working for years to raise awareness of the reasons for over-indebtedness and how to prevent it. With its commitment and sponsorship of the annual over-indebtedness report, the foundation is helping to ensure that the importance of financial and economic education as well as the many reasons for private over-indebtedness are brought more into the focus of politics, the media and society. We are honouring this achievement with the Meritum Award of German Business."

Philipp Blomeyer, Chairman of the Board of the Germany Plus Foundation, says: "Receiving the Meritum Sponsorship Award is both a great recognition of our work and an incentive for us," emphasised Philipp Blomeyer, Chairman of the Board of the Germany in Plus Foundation. "Financial literacy is more than just a practical tool - it is a central building block for personal self-determination and social participation. It enables young people to make informed decisions and shape their future in a positive way. The Meritum Award enables us to reach even more young people - regardless of their social environment and background - with financial education and protect them from over-indebtedness. The relevance of the topic is impressively demonstrated by the iff over-indebtedness report. The 2024 survey found that young people in particular fall into the debt trap disproportionately often due to a lack of financial knowledge and ill-considered consumption. This is precisely where Stiftung Deutschland im Plus comes in: with education and practical support."

Background

The Stiftung Deutschland im Plus was founded in 2007 and is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the prevention of private over-indebtedness in Germany. Its tasks include financial education workshops, the promotion of research into over-indebtedness and free and anonymous counselling for people in financial need. 

Deutsches Aktieninstitut e.V. awards the Meritum Prize of German Business. Once a year, it honours personalities, organisations, initiatives and projects that are particularly committed to the German economy, the concerns of the social market economy, economic education and a better understanding of economic relationships.