The following is a description of the Group’s significant IFRS accounting policies that have been used in the preparation of the IFRS financial information contained in this Report.

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial information in this Report comprises that of the parent company, Deutsche Bank, together with its subsidiaries, including certain special purpose entities, presented as a single economic unit. It is presented in euro which is the presentation currency of the Group.

Subsidiaries

The Group’s subsidiaries are those entities which it controls. The Group controls entities where it has the power to govern the financial and operating policies of the entity, generally accompanying a shareholding, either directly or indirectly, of more than one half of the voting rights. The existence and effect of potential voting rights that are currently exercisable or convertible are considered in assessing whether the Group controls another entity.

The Group sponsors the formation of special purpose entities (“SPEs”) for a variety of purposes; reasons include allowing clients to hold investments in separate legal entities, allowing clients to jointly invest in alternative assets, for asset securitization transactions, and for buying or selling credit protection. When assessing whether to consolidate an SPE, the Group evaluates a range of factors, including whether (a) the activities of the SPE are being conducted on behalf of the Group according to its specific business needs so that the Group obtains the benefits from the SPE’s operations, (b) the Group has decision-making powers to obtain the majority of the benefits, (c) the Group will obtain the majority of the benefits of the activities of the SPE, and (d) the Group retains the majority of the residual ownership risks related to the assets in order to obtain the benefits from its activities. The Group consolidates an SPE if an assessment of the relevant factors indicates that the SPE is controlled by the Group.

Subsidiaries are consolidated from the date on which control is transferred to the Group and are no longer consolidated from the date that control ceases.

The purchase method of accounting is used to account for the acquisition of subsidiaries. The cost of an acquisition is measured at the fair value of the assets given, equity instruments issued and liabilities incurred or assumed, plus any costs directly related to the acquisition. The excess of the cost of an acquisition over the Group’s share of the fair value of the identifiable net assets acquired is recorded as goodwill. If the acquisition cost is below the fair value of the identifiable net assets (negative goodwill), a gain may be reported in other revenues.

All material intercompany transactions, balances and unrealized gains on transactions between Group companies are eliminated on consolidation and consistent accounting policies are used throughout the Group for the purposes of consolidation. Issuances of a subsidiary’s stock to third parties are treated as capital issuances.

Assets held in an agency or fiduciary capacity are not assets of the Group and are not included in the Group’s consolidated balance sheet.

Minority interests are shown in the consolidated balance sheet as a separate component of equity which is distinct from Deutsche Bank’s shareholders’ equity. The net income attributable to minority interests is separately disclosed on the face of the consolidated income statement.

Associates and joint ventures

An associate is an entity in which the Group has significant influence, but not a controlling interest over the operating and financial management policy decisions. Significant influence is generally presumed when the Group holds between 20 % and 50 % of the voting rights. The existence and effect of potential voting rights that are currently exercisable or convertible are considered in assessing whether the Group has significant influence. Other factors that are considered in determining whether the Group has significant influence include representation on the board of directors (supervisory board in the case of German stock corporations) and material intercompany transactions. The existence of these factors could require the application of the equity method of accounting for a particular investment even though the investment is less than 20 % of the voting stock.

A joint venture exists where the Group has a contractual arrangement with one or more parties to undertake activities typically, though not necessarily, through entities which are subject to joint control.

Investments in associates and joint ventures are accounted for under the equity method of accounting.

Under the equity method of accounting, the Group’s investments in associates and joint ventures are initially recorded at cost and increased (or decreased) each year by the Group’s share of the post acquisition net income (or loss), or other movements reflected directly in the equity of the associated or jointly controlled entity. Goodwill arising on the acquisition of an associate or joint venture is included in the cost of the investment (net of any accumulated impairment loss). Equity method losses in excess of the Group’s carrying value of the investment in the entity are charged against other assets held by the Group related to the investee. If those assets are written down to zero, a determination is made whether to report additional losses based on the Group’s obligation to fund such losses.