Volksbank Westmünsterland reorganizes: Change at the top and stable figures

Volksbank Westmünsterland is restructuring its leadership. As of July 1, 2026, Matthias Entrup will take over as Chairman of the Board. At the same time, the cooperative bank reports stable key figures for the past financial year and a dividend payment to its members.

Change at the top

The change at the top is, according to the institution, part of an ongoing strategic process. Dr. Carsten Düerkop asked the Supervisory Board, as part of an early succession plan, to release him from his position as Chairman of the Board already in the middle of the year; the Supervisory Board complied with this request. From July 1, 2026, Matthias Entrup will lead the Board.

Strategic process: Restructuring becomes visible in leadership

In the future, Volksbank Westmünsterland will work with a three-member board: Matthias Entrup as Chairman of the Board, Dr. Carsten Düerkop, and Henning Henke. The bank explicitly links the new setup to its strategic course: customer proximity and market orientation are, according to its own statements, to be more firmly anchored in organization and decision-making processes in order to strengthen competitiveness.

Entrup presents the personnel decision accordingly as a consistent organizational translation of this course: “With this setup, we are consistently translating our strategic orientation into our organization and at the same time strengthening our competitiveness as well as our closeness to our members, customers, and clients.”

Stable key figures despite challenging environment

For the past financial year, Volksbank Westmünsterland reports, according to its own statements, a stable development. The balance sheet total is around 5.16 billion euros, the managed customer business volume at 11.1 billion euros. The bank puts the operating result at 50.8 million euros.

At the same time, the institution points to a challenging environment: economic uncertainty, increasing regulatory requirements, and a reluctance to invest. Düerkop said at the representatives' meeting in the Borken town hall: “The framework conditions remain challenging – all the more important that we stand as a reliable partner at the side of our approximately 70,000 members, customers, and clients.”

For the classification of the leadership change, it is crucial: the new setup is not justified by an acute economic crisis, but as a step within a strategic further development – from a situation in which the bank emphasizes its operational stability.

Dividend for members – Impulses in the lending business

The development should also benefit the members. The representatives' meeting decided on a base dividend of 2.75 percent as well as a bonus dividend of 3.25 percent on a business share of up to 2,500 euros. The number of members is 70,700.

In the corporate customer business, the bank sees impulses mainly through investments in future fields such as renewable energies. In the private customer business, modernization and renovation projects in particular have provided a boost. According to the institution, classic new residential construction remains in decline; the bank cites high costs and extensive regulatory requirements as reasons. Overall, Volksbank describes the development across both customer segments as stable.

Restructuring also as an employer and at the locations

Volksbank Westmünsterland also wants to realign itself as an employer. Modern working conditions, flexible models, and targeted development opportunities are intended to strengthen attractiveness in the labor market. In addition, the institution says it is investing in regional infrastructure to combine advisory and service offerings with personal proximity and at the same time enable new usage concepts at the locations.

Outlook

The leadership change thus falls into a phase in which Volksbank Westmünsterland underpins its claim as a regionally anchored cooperative bank with stable figures and at the same time sharpens its structure. Whether the new setup will actually fulfill the strategic claim of more customer proximity and market orientation in everyday life will become apparent in operational business from July 1, 2026.