DZ Bank AG is the fourth largest bank in Germany by asset size and the central institution for more than 900 co-operative banks and their 12,000 branch offices. Within the Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken Co-operative financial network, which is one of Germany's largest private sector financial service organisations, DZ Bank functions both as a central institution and as a corporate and investment bank.

As a holding, the DZ Bank Group defines itself primarily as a service provider for the local cooperative banks and their 30 million or so clients. The DZ Bank Group includes DVB Bank, a transportation finance bank; Bausparkasse Schwäbisch Hall, a building society; DG HYP, a provider of commercial real estate finance; DZ Privatbank Gruppe; R+V Versicherung, an insurance company; TeamBank, a provider of consumer finance; Union Investment Group, an asset management company; VR Leasing; and various other specialized institutions.