As required by section 2a of the BaFin Statutes, this officer advises BaFin’s Executive Board in matters regarding investor and consumer protection. He or she participates in the meetings in an advisory capacity whenever Executive Board meetings deal with these topics; in addition, he or she can recommend that the Executive Board should look into matters of investor and consumer protection. The officer also provides guidance and advice to the Chief Executive Directors in the context of their participation in the bodies of the European financial system wherever investor and consumer protection interests are to be discussed.

The role of Consumer Protection Officer is currently held by Christian Bock, who has served as Director-General for Consumer Protection since this directorate was founded in 2015. After first completing a banking apprenticeship, he obtained his law degree and worked as a lawyer for several years. In 1999, he began working for what was then the Federal Securities Supervisory Office (Bundesaufsichtsamt für den Wertpapierhandel). At BaFin, he first served as head of the Division for Administrative Fine Proceedings and later as head of the Division for the Supervision of Compliance with Rules of Conduct and Organisational Requirements for Private and Foreign Banks.

Consumers with questions concerning financial issues can contact BaFin’s consumer helpline at the telephone number 0800 2 100 500. BaFin’s website provides information about what consumers can do if they feel they have not been treated correctly by a company.