Neobank

N26 Hires Former Postbank Finance Chief Marc Hess as C.F.O.

co-produced by AI12. October 2026, 09:14

N26’s management board now looks more like a bank than a start-up: The Berlin-based digital bank has appointed Marc Hess as its new chief financial officer. The longtime finance chief of Postbank and Aareal Bank will take office later this week, pending regulatory approval. With his appointment, all positions on the digital bank’s management board are filled, according to Andreas Dombret, the chairman of N26’s supervisory board.

Eleven Years at Postbank, Six at Aareal

Mr. Hess began his career in investor relations before moving to Deutsche Postbank. There, he oversaw the finance department for more than 11 years, as C.F.O. from 2007 and additionally as deputy chief executive from 2015. At the same time, he served as global C.F.O. of Deutsche Bank’s private and business clients division. From 2018 to 2024, he was C.F.O. of Aareal Bank, which he left at the end of 2024 after a mutual agreement with its supervisory board.

Mr. Dombret praised Mr. Hess above all for his understanding of retail banking and his regulatory expertise. Mr. Hess said N26 was now entering “a new phase.” Mike Dargan, N26’s chief executive, said Mr. Hess would help write “the next chapter of N26” and strengthen its position as what the company calls Europe’s most trusted digital main bank. N26 plans to keep expanding its offering in the fourth quarter and next year.

The Overhaul Under Mike Dargan

Mr. Hess marks the provisional end of a sweeping overhaul at the top. Mr. Dargan, a former UBS executive, took over in April, replacing the interim co-chief executives Maximilian Tayenthal and Marcus Mosen. The co-founder Valentin Stalf had already stepped back from operational management in the summer of 2025. Since then, Mr. Dargan has largely restaffed the leadership team with managers from traditional banks:

C.O.O.: Aytac Aydin joined from Oldenburgische Landesbank and has overseen technology, operations and legal since July.
C.T.O.: Marcin Pakulnicki joined from ING in September, succeeding Gino Cordt.
Marketing: Nathalie Picquot came from Banco Santander and became chief growth and marketing officer at the start of October, succeeding Timo Meyer.
Product: Daniel Lappas, at N26 since 2022, was promoted to chief product and business officer.

Mr. Hess succeeds Arnd Schwierholz, who left N26 at the end of August, shortly after the bank reported its first annual profit for 2025. Mr. Schwierholz joined N26 in 2023 and also served as interim co-chief executive in early 2026. Officially, he stepped down; according to media reports, the change of finance chief was initiated by the new C.E.O. In the meantime, Mr. Aydin led the finance team.

Profitable, but Still Under BaFin’s Watch

Mr. Hess takes over a bank that is making money for the first time. In 2025, N26 posted net income of €1.6 million, after a loss of €42 million the year before. Gross income rose to €501.6 million, and the number of revenue-relevant customers grew to 5.6 million. But its regulatory problems are not over. In December 2025, Germany’s financial regulator BaFin imposed new measures over shortcomings in risk and complaint management and in the lending business, including additional capital requirements and a special monitor overseeing their implementation.

Competition among Europe’s neobanks is also intensifying. N26 competes with Revolut, Trade Republic and Monzo, among others, while Latin America’s neobank giant Nubank is reportedly in talks to acquire Monzo. N26 was founded in 2013 by the Austrians Valentin Stalf and Maximilian Tayenthal and now operates in 24 markets. Its roughly 1,600 employees work in Berlin as well as in Barcelona, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Vienna, among other cities.