N26 has named Marc Hess as its chief financial officer, the Berlin-based digital bank said today (Monday). He takes over a finance post Arnd Schwierholz vacated in the summer.
Hess joins on Thursday as CFO and managing director of N26 SE and N26 Bank SE, subject to regulatory approval. Schwierholz left at the end of August.
Hess began his career in investor relations. He became finance chief of Deutsche Postbank in 2007 and its deputy chief executive in 2015. For several years he was also global CFO of Deutsche Bank's private and business client unit, before serving as CFO of Aareal Bank from 2018 to 2024.
London's trading industry is coming home!
He inherits a bank that has only just started making money. N26 reported net income of €1.6 million for 2025, its first full-year profit, on revenue of €501.6 million, while still holding the extra capital ordered by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin).
A Management Board Rebuilt in 10 Months
The leadership overhaul started in 2025, when founder Valentin Stalf stepped aside and former Bundesbank board member Andreas Dombret took the supervisory board chair. Jochen Klöpper joined as chief risk officer in December.
Former UBS executive Mike Dargan took over as chief executive in April, after BaFin imposed fresh restrictions on the bank. Schwierholz had served as interim co-CEO before Dargan arrived.
- N26 Turns First Annual Profit as Revenue Surpasses €500 Million
- Former Central Banker Takes N26 Helm Amid Founder Exodus
- BaFin Pressure and Investor Disputes Drive N26 Joint CEO Valentin Stalf to Step Aside
"With his appointment, all positions on the digital bank's Management Board are filled," Dombret said in the statement.
Aytac Aydin, who left Oldenburgische Landesbank to become N26's chief operating officer in July, was named interim head of the finance team when Schwierholz's exit was announced that month.
Capital Rules and a Special Monitor
BaFin ordered the extra capital last December, when it also appointed a special monitor at N26 and barred new mortgage lending in the Netherlands. It was the second time since 2021 that BaFin placed a special representative at the bank.
The regulator fined the bank €9.2 million in 2024 over late suspicious-activity reports.
That profit is small next to Revolut's. Revolut reported pretax profit of £1.7 billion for 2025, on revenue of £4.5 billion.
N26 counts 5.6 million revenue-relevant customers, by its own measure. Dutch rival bunq reported 20 million users in September 2025.
Hess said N26 was "now entering the next phase of maturity and growth."
The company said it plans a significant expansion of its banking product starting in the fourth quarter and running into next year.
