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Dr Rolf Kobabe

Lawyer │ Partner

Savings bank officer

Hamburg

+49 40 18067 24680

rolf.kobabe@luther-lawfirm.com

Areas of practice

Capital Markets, Banking & Finance

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Digital Value Chains

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Financial Services Investment Funds & Alternative Investments

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Insurance Law

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Blockchain & FinTech

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Information Tech & Telecommunications

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Energy

Dr Rolf Kobabe specialises in the areas of regulatory law, asset management and funds. Here, Dr Kobabe advises on all issues relevant to supervisory law, in particular from the KWG, WpIG, ZAG, WpHG, KAGB, VAG, VVG and the Gewerbeordnung (Trade Regulation Act), and assists his clients with all necessary BaFin authorisation and ownership control procedures, the specific organisational and conduct obligations as well as in the drafting of contracts and documentation for the launch and management of mutual and special funds of all asset classes (including crypto assets). His regulatory expertise also includes questions regarding the German Money Laundering Act (GwG). A further focus of his work is banking contract law, banking supervisory law and capital market law in all its facets.

Within the scope of his work, Dr Rolf Kobabe advises international and national credit institutions, investment firms, financial service providers, asset managers, capital management companies, custodians, issuing houses and insurance companies, but also capital-seeking and financial market-oriented SMEs, as well as FinTechs and start-ups.

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Vita

Dr Rolf Kobabe, a trained savings bank clerk, was initially assistant to the board of the private bank Hallbaum, Maier & Co. AG in Hanover. After completing his doctorate with a thesis on the law of EU central banks, he from 1998 initially practised as a commercial lawyer with a focus on financing measures for small and medium-sized enterprises. Dr Kobabe has published numerous books, brochures and essays on current developments in the capital markets, among other things, most recently as co-author of the commentary on the German Banking Act and the CRR published by Schäffer-Poeschel Verlag (4^th edition 2023).

Honors and distinctions

Chambers FinTech Guide 2025: Ranking in "FinTech Legal" (Band 4, first ranking in 2022, "Rolf is exceedingly competent and experienced in his field of expertise.")
The Legal 500 Germany 2025: Recommendations in the categories "Banking and Finance Law - FinTech" (first recommendation in 2022, first mention in 2021), "Capital Markets Law - DCM" and "Insurance Law - Advice to Insurance Companies"
The Legal 500 Germany 2016: Mention in "Securitisation and Fund Law Conflicts"
The Legal 500 Germany 2011: Mention in "Banking and Finance - Bank Lending"
Thomson Reuters 2024: Award as Stand-out Lawyer

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Clients

BMCP GmbH: advice on the procedure to obtain authorisation pursuant to Section 32 German Banking Act (KWG)
Providing ongoing advice to various investment management companies on setting up their own funds and white label funds
Diverse registrations of internal investment management companies pursuant to Section 2(4) German Capital Investment Code (KAGB)
Providing regulatory advice to institutions and service providers in connection with the outsourcing of activities and processes pursuant to Section 25b German Banking Act (KWG)
Restructuring a public bank’s distribution of insurance contracts, as necessitated by supervisory law in connection with the bank’s merger into another credit institution
Regulatory advice to a fintech regarding the structuring of its Tokenisation-as-a-Service business in connection with digital brand currencies
International information bureau: regulatory advice on the implementation of a bank account information service and contract negotiations with a financial service provider regarding the outsourcing of services to this provider
Augsburger Aktienbank AG: regulatory advice on the takeover of an online bank
Deutsche Kreditbank DKB: regulatory advice on the takeover of SKB Bank
Norddeutsche Förderbank: ongoing regulatory advice
International group bank established to finance the sale of the group’s products: ongoing advice on all matters relating to the German Money Laundering Act (GwG), in particular, risk analysis, internal security measures, general duties of care, enhanced duties of care; drafting and negotiation of contracts regarding appointing reliable third parties to undertake measures for the performance of various general duties of care
Online bank: advice on cross-border banking transactions and on the recognition of identification measures by foreign-based companies
Group of cooperative banks: advice on the introduction of a video-ident procedure and assistance with contract negotiations with an external service provider, all the while consulting with the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin)
Large German bank: advice on various matters relevant from an anti-money laundering perspective in connection with the development of a new online product in the area of social trading
International insurance company: regulatory and contract law advice in connection with the outsourcing of IT services to an international cloud services provider
Department store operator in southern Germany: regulatory advice in connection the operator’s own customer card; advice on the preparation of internal anti-money laundering guidelines; ongoing advice on matters relating to anti-money laundering law
BITKOM Servicegesellschaft mbH: advice on the delimitation for regulatory purposes (including on the relevant procedure before the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin)) of the guarantee business offered by BITKOM pursuant to the German Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act (ElektroG)
DAVIGO AG: advice on the delimitation for regulatory purposes (including on the relevant procedure before the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin)) of the equity investment business carried on by DAVIGO AG from the capital investment business according to the German Capital Investment Code (KAGB)
Good Brands AG: advice on the delimitation for regulatory purposes (including on the relevant procedure before the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin)) of the equity investment business carried on by Good Brands AG from the capital investment business according to the German Capital Investment Code (KAGB)
FIDELITAS Industrie Holding GmbH: advice on the delimitation for regulatory purposes (including on the relevant procedure before the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin)) of the equity investment business carried on by FIDELITAS from the capital investment business according to the German Capital Investment Code (KAGB)
Golfino AG: advice on the issuing and documentation of an SME bond (listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange)
Advising numerous issuing houses on the implementation of the German Investment Act (VermAnlG) and the AIFMD and/or the German Capital Investment Code (KAGB)
Nordex SE: advice on the issuing and documentation of a EUR 150 million guaranteed corporate bond
Advice to a producer of wind power engines with regard to a bond-based financing programme
Advising banks and pension funds with regard to the revocation and settlement of loan agreements
Advice to a German issuing house and an Austrian bank on the issuing of a EUR 35 million asset-linked note for oil and gas investments
Regulatory advice to a private solar park fund
Advice to and representation of a HNW family with regard to their investing in approximately fifteen loan-financed real estate funds
Advice to and representation of an international private bank with regard to the solicitation and management of real estate USCITS and the cancellation of the redemption of units as well as the settlement of the funds (more than 400 actions)
Advice to a bank-owned fund originator with regard to the structuring of an international commodity fund
Advising numerous medium-sized companies on the structuring, issuance and public offering of participation rights
Advice to an issuing house on the structuring of various real estate funds of funds for developments in Poland
Advice to a medium-sized coffee trading company on the structuring, issuance and public offering of corporate bonds
Advice to an issuing house on the structuring of geothermal energy funds and a geothermal energy bond
Landesbank Berlin: advice on the structuring of the structured covered bond programmes “Daheim Nr. 1” and “Daheim Nr. 2”

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Publications

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Blog posts

Die neuen EBA-Guidelines

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Lectures

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Newsroom

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