N26, the Berlin-founded digital bank, has completed its management board by naming veteran German banker Marc Hess as chief financial officer (CFO). The hire comes as the lender prepares a major expansion of its product in the coming months.
Hess will become CFO and managing director of both N26 SE and N26 Bank SE, starting on 15 October 2026. Regulators still need to approve the appointment in the usual way.
Hess has spent decades in senior finance roles at major German lenders. He started out in investor relations and later moved to Deutsche Postbank. He became CFO there in 2007 and deputy CEO in 2015, and ran the bank’s finances for more than 11 years. For several years in that period, he was also Global CFO for the Private and Business Client division at Deutsche Bank. His most recent role was CFO of Aareal Bank, from 2018 to 2024.
The timing is significant. N26 plans a substantial expansion of its digital banking offering, starting in the final quarter of this year and continuing into next year. The new finance chief will therefore arrive during a period of active product development.
With this appointment, every seat on N26’s management board is now filled, according to the company.
N26 Supervisory Board chairman Dr Andreas Dombret said, “The Supervisory Board is pleased to welcome Marc Hess to the N26 Management Board as its new Chief Financial Officer. His deep understanding of retail banking, capital management and regulatory resilience complements the strong leadership profiles at N26. With his appointment, all positions on the digital bank’s Management Board are filled. Marc’s strong skillset will contribute to N26’s path to success, positioning the company even more strongly for the future.”
Hess said, “What N26 has achieved in the banking industry is impressive. It is now entering the next phase of maturity and growth, and I look forward to working with Mike and the wider management team on this journey.”
N26 CEO Mike Dargan added, “With Marc, we welcome a leader with decades of financial leadership experience in retail banking to N26. His expertise will be important as N26 looks ahead at a new chapter of growth, solidifying its place as Europe’s Most Trusted Digital Primary Bank.”
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