Commerzbank CEO: serving out contract depends on agreement with board (updated)

COMMERZBANK AG

02/09/2026 12:43

Adds CEO quotes, context
FRANKFURT, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Commerzbank CBKG.DE CEO Bettina Orlopp on Wednesday confirmed direct talks with suitor UniCredit CRDI.MI and added it would only make sense to serve out her full term until 2029 if she can align on strategy with the supervisory board.
"As long as there is agreement on strategy and the way forward, I believe that is a good basis," Orlopp said at the Handelsblatt Banking summit in Frankfurt. "If at some point there is disagreement, we all have to behave like adults and find a solution."
Orlopp warned against a rushed integration, saying uncertainty benefits competitors and could harm both customers and key talent. 
She stressed the importance of close coordination with the German government, Commerzbank's second-largest shareholder. 
Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil has invited UniCredit CEO Andrea Orcel to Berlin on Sept. 14, an invitation Orcel has accepted. 
UniCredit has secured access to up to 49.65% of Commerzbank shares. The German government, which still holds around 12% following a financial crisis-era bailout, had long opposed a merger alongside Commerzbank's board. 

 (Reporting by Philipp Krach
Writing by Ludwig Burger, Kirsti Knolle
Editing by Linda Pasquini)
 ((ludwig.burger@thomsonreuters.com))