For 10 years, we at quirion have pursued the goal of making the advantages of professional wealth management accessible to more and more people. We look back on the key milestones on our path towards „returns for everyone“.
1) Wealth management goes digital
quirion launched on 1 November 2013, as one of the first robo-advisors in Germany. „My goal has always been to make investing in Germany simpler and better,“ explains quirion founder Karl Matthäus Schmidt. „Wealth management used to be only for people who already had wealth. With quirion, we removed that barrier.“
As a founder, Schmidt has caused a stir more than once. With Consors, he launched one of the first online brokers back in 1994. Quirin Privatbank followed in 2006 – the first, and to this day the only, bank specialising in independent advice. Digital technology, low-cost ETFs and a scientifically grounded investment strategy formed the basis on which he set out to drive the democratisation of investing further with quirion.
2) A savings plan with extras
Our guiding principle is „returns for everyone“. And savings plans are one way to build wealth step by step. That’s why, since 2015, quirion’s ETF portfolios have also been available as a savings plan. This goes far beyond a simple product savings plan. With every contribution it includes the services of professional wealth management – starting from an investment amount of just €25.
Whether a savings plan or a one-off investment: the aim of our investment strategy is to achieve, cost-efficiently, an optimal balance of return and risk through a special combination of ETFs – for the widest possible range of risk appetites. Through ETFs, our global portfolio currently gives you a stake in around 8,000 equities and, where applicable, in bonds from around 3,000 issuers. We tailor the mix of equities and bonds in each case to the individual investment horizon and the personal risk appetite of the investor.
3) Digital and mobile
The quirion app has been available since 2018. With it, our clients keep an eye on how their portfolio is developing, can invest money or get in touch with client support.
A little preview: we are currently completely rebuilding our app. The new version is expected to be available in summer 2024 and will offer many additional features.
4) An award-winning robo-advisor
Since our founding, we have already received dozens of awards, including two test wins at Stiftung Warentest (Finanztest 8/2018 and 7/2021). Time and again, our portfolio quality and low costs proved convincing.
5) Sustainable, yet broadly diversified
Many people are looking not just for returns but also want to invest their money responsibly. Yet only when a balanced ratio of return opportunities and risks is ensured can you invest for the long term with a clear conscience. That’s why, since 2019, we have also offered a sustainable ETF portfolio. As with the global ETF portfolio, diversification is at the heart of the investment strategy. When selecting the ETFs, however, sustainability criteria are also taken into account.
6) A robo with personality
Digital wealth management doesn’t have to be anonymous and impersonal. This is clear, for example, with quirion LIVE: once a month, everyone can put their questions about investing to our experts. The format launched in April 2020, in the wake of the „Corona crash“ on the stock markets. „Back then, many investors were very worried,“ explains Dirk Althoff, head of our corporate communications. „We quickly set up a ‚consultation hour‘ to take away their fears.“ On board from the very start: our CEO Martin Daut and Philipp Dobbert, head of wealth management.
In the service package „Premium“, we have also offered exclusive online financial coaching sessions since 2022. The topics range from the basics of investing through to risk management. Beyond that, clients on the „Private“ service package can make use of personal advice at 13 branches across Germany. This advisory offering draws on the network of Quirin Privatbank.
7) Building wealth for the children
Building wealth over the long term using the return opportunities of the capital markets – that’s what our global and sustainable ETF portfolios are all about. Since 2020, you can also invest in both as part of a children’s savings plan. Once the account and savings plan are set up, friends and relatives can save along too.
8) Investing as a gift
As the first financial services provider, we introduced gift cards for investing in 2021 – initially as an offer in bricks-and-mortar retail at Edeka. The message: investing should be entirely natural, just like doing the shopping. The cards also make an original gift idea. By now, our gift cards are available on many platforms, such as Amazon, Payback and Wunschgutschein. But also in our webshop, newly opened in 2023.webshop.
9) Benefiting from megatrends or rising interest rates
Over the years, many clients wanted to be able to set their own focus areas within their quirion portfolio too. That’s why we have expanded our product range step by step: in 2022, for example, with our Megatrends portfolio. It concentrates on five particularly promising investment themes, but is more risk-minimised than individual thematic funds and makes a good addition to a broadly diversified portfolio. The same applies to the 13 further thematic investments that are now available.
While megatrends call for a long-term investment horizon, Cash-Invest is about short-term investing. Our newest portfolio always stays close to interest-rate developments – a market-oriented and clever alternative to overnight deposits. Together with our interest-bearing settlement account, this gives us two options for those who want to „park“ money.
10) Growth every single year
In 2017 we crossed the threshold of €100 million in assets under management. By October 2020 it was more than €500 million, and in 2021 more than one billion. Today we manage over two billion euros for more than 75,000 clients.
„Since 2013, we have grown every year – even when things weren’t going so well on the markets,“ stresses CEO Martin Daut. „For us, that’s a great signal: our offerings are convincing in every market phase.“ But he says there’s no intention of resting on what has been achieved. „We still have a great deal planned. Together with our clients, we want to keep on growing.“
