As the reason for the moratorium, BaFin stated that it had to be ordered to secure the assets in an orderly proceeding. BaFin further explained that following the required provisions for taxes, the institution may face balance-sheet overindebtedness.

Maple Bank GmbH is not systemically important and thus poses no threat to financial stability. As at 4 February 2016, the balance sheet total of Maple Bank GmbH, domiciled in Frankfurt am Main, stands at roughly 5 billion euros. Also based on the data as at 4 February 2016, the institution has liabilities towards institutional customers of close to 2.6 billion euros; liabilities to retail customers only make up a negligible share of the liabilities.

Maple Bank GmbH describes itself as a niche provider in the investment banking sector, focusing on single strategies. It carries out its activities on the securities and derivatives markets in Western and Northern Europe as well as in North America. The bank's sole shareholder is Maple Financial Europe SE, domiciled in Frankfurt am Main, which, in turn, is a wholly owned subsidiary of parent company Maple Financial Group Inc., which is domiciled in Toronto, Canada.

The deposits of customers of Maple Bank GmbH are protected under the German Deposit Guarantee Act (Einlagensicherungsgesetz). The institution belongs to the Compensation Scheme of German Banks (Entschädigungseinrichtung deutscher Banken GmbH – EdB). The statutory conditions for compensation of up to 100,000 euros per depositor are met when BaFin has determined that compensation is payable. The EdB must inform creditors of the institution without delay if such case has occurred.

Maple Bank GmbH is also a member of the Deposit Protection Fund of the Association of German Banks (Einlagensicherungsfonds des Bundesverbandes Deutscher Banken e.V.). In accordance with its statute, this Deposit Protection Fund assumes the part of the deposits exceeding the statutory limit of 100,000 euros – up to the respective protection limit.