Ehrentag 2026: Making engagement visible

• On 23 May, the 77th anniversary of Germany´s Basic Law, the first nationwide "Ehrentag" a special day to honor voluntary work and emphasize its worth for democracy and social cohesion.
• Commerzbank is using the Ehrentag as an occasion for a campaign that makes its employees’ voluntary engagement visible: every month a committed member of "Team Yellow" will be featured.
• Chief Human Resources Officer Sabine Mlnarsky explicitly thanks all volunteers and calls on everyone to start their own initiatives or support existing ones.
• Together with AGV Banken and the Business Council for Democracy (BC4D), Commerzbank is taking responsibility for democracy; it has already been participating in BC4D’s awareness-raising programme since 2024.

Over 28 million people in Germany get involved to make our society a little better. They help, organise, support, listen and roll up their sleeves. Every day, they show us what lived democracy means: taking responsibility, driving ideas forward and taking action together. Making engagement visible

This commitment strengthens our society and makes democratic values tangible in everyday life.

Many Commerzbank employees are involved in voluntary work, whether in their private lives or within the Bank. Around the Ehrentag 2026, we are therefore launching a campaign that puts the diverse voluntary engagement of Team Yellow centre stage. "My heartfelt thanks go to all our Commerzbank employees who volunteer their time for their outstanding commitment. It is often a challenge to be active on a voluntary basis alongside one’s job, family and other responsibilities. From my own experience, however, I know that this commitment is worthwhile. For many years I was involved in animal protection, and I also offered a home to families from Ukraine and Chechnya after they fled, helping them to find their feet in a country that was unfamiliar to them. I experienced how much gratitude and appreciation you receive in return and how important it is to roll up your sleeves yourself. That is why I would like to encourage you to begin your own heartfelt initiative close to your heart or support an existing one – every contribution counts", says Chief Human Resources Officer Sabine Mlnarsky.

Therefore on a regular basis one employee who goes the extra mile for others alongside their job will be in the spotlight.

With this initiative we are following the idea of the Ehrentag and making our employees’ social engagement visible. All of them are contributing to a strong and vibrant democracy. At the same time, the personal stories of those who are engaged show how diverse voluntary work can be and what impact it has on social cohesion.

Taking responsibility for democracy together

Social engagement is an important component of responsible corporate conduct. Together with AGV Banken (the Employers’ Association of the Private Banking Industry) and the democracy-strengthening initiative BC4D (Business Council for Democracy), we want to show how important voluntary engagement is for a strong and vibrant society.