The independence of the intermediaries acting for FVB remains fully preserved. "For many years now FVB has been an established broker with regional roots and very good growth in business with commercial and private customers. Working together with FVB, we intend to consolidate and build further on these strengths", says Wolfgang Hanssmann, the member of the Management Board of Talanx Deutschland responsible for Sales and Marketing. "The change in ownership will not make any difference whatsoever to the support received by FVB's roughly 100,000 customers."

"By making this move we are systematically pursuing our #handshake strategy of linking personal sales with digitalisation – the two complement one another perfectly", says Dr Tobias Warweg, the member of the Management Board of HDI Vertriebs AG responsible for sales through brokers and cooperation arrangements. "This partnership will make us even stronger and give us an enduring lead over our competitors. In the financial services sector there is always intense competition over intermediaries, resources and ideas. We want to expand our position here, and FVB is the ideal partner for this purpose."

Thomas Schallenberg, the sole owner of the company until now, will stay on as Managing Director of FVB after the change of ownership. He adds: "HDI is the ideal partner for us because together we can generate vigorous growth. As part of the "#handshake" digital campaign our intermediaries will join us on our exciting journey into the future. The two worlds are interlinked – and will profit from one another. With Talanx as our parent company, the robust financial base will make us even more attractive to intermediaries of other companies, whom we shall be in a position to offer a very bright future with our brokerage firm."