At the very festive firstfive Gala in the Villa Bonn in Frankfurt am Main, the best asset managers of the year 2026 were honored in front of an exclusive audience. Accompanied by first-class chamber music performed by violinist David Baban with piano accompaniment by Jiyun Kim, who played works by Grażyna Bacewicz, Johannes Brahms, Claude Debussy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Niccolò Paganini, the evening was entirely dedicated to excellence, consistency and professional wealth management. In the three evaluation periods of 12, 36 and 60 months, firstfive AG honored those institutions that were able to deliver outstanding results across different market phases and risk classes.
As the overall winner across all three time periods, M.M.Warburg & CO from Hamburg clearly stood out. The private bank achieved first place in both the three-year and five-year rankings and additionally secured second place in the twelve-month ranking. This exceptional performance resulted in 265 out of a possible 300 total points. Bankhaus Bauer Privatbank AG from Essen followed in second place overall with 215 points, while LIQID Asset Management from Berlin ranked third with 212 points. The significance of these awards lies above all in the fact that the top asset managers must demonstrate excellent performance in three different risk classes in order to reach leading positions. This demanding requirement gives the firstfive Awards their particularly high standing within the industry.
Jürgen Lampe, CEO of firstfive AG, emphasized the special nature of the evaluation process by stating: “Our analyses are carried out on the basis of real portfolios. The firstfive AG database of around 180 portfolios is unique, and this clearly differentiates us from performance projects or portfolio contests of other institutions. These tend to have the character of a stock market game and are not necessarily identical to the real wealth management of a provider.” Lampe is also co-editor of several books on the topic of “Rating of Asset Managers” published by Frankfurt School Verlag GmbH and by Springer Gabler, which further underlines his recognized expertise in the field.
In the twelve-month ranking, Bankhaus Bauer Privatbank AG took first place with 78.3 points, closely followed by M.M.Warburg & CO with 75.2 points, while Rhein Asset Management came in third. The two leading institutions were separated by only three points. The decisive factors for Bankhaus Bauer’s success were two second-place finishes in the conservative and moderately dynamic risk classes. Technology stocks and gold proved to be major performance drivers. Christian Wieschnewski, Head of Wealth Management and Asset Management, commented: “We are very pleased to receive the award as ‘Asset Manager of the Year’. This success is the result of a strong team effort and confirms our investment approach: at our core is active management with a focus on structurally growing companies. At the same time, we continuously and critically question our decisions. It is important to us that even in phases of short-term market nervousness we never lose sight of the long-term perspective.” He continued: “The fact that this strategy is working is demonstrated by the consistency of our results. In addition to the current victory, we achieved second place over three years and a top-five placement over five years. Our sincere thanks go to our clients for their trust. It gives us the confidence to pursue our path with foresight and composure. This award is a great motivation for our entire team for the future.”
In the three-year ranking, M.M.Warburg & CO improved from second place in the previous year to take the top position. Two first-place finishes in the conservative and dynamic risk classes and a second place in the moderately dynamic class allowed the bank to clearly distance itself from its competitors. An options and certificates strategy as well as US technology investments were among the key contributors to this success. Bankhaus Bauer moved up from fourth to second place, while the previous year’s winner LIQID had to settle for third. M.M.Warburg & CO also led the five-year evaluation. In addition to the previously mentioned performance drivers, successful stock picking in Europe played a decisive role. LIQID Asset Management defended its second place from the previous year, while DJE Kapital AG ranked third.
Daniel Hupfer, Head of Portfolio Management at M.M.Warburg & CO, summarized the importance of the award as follows: “We are very pleased that in recent years – in a volatile market environment and in a period characterized by numerous economic and (geo)political events – we have been able to stand by our clients as a strong and reliable partner. Especially in times of heightened uncertainty, a clear strategy and disciplined implementation are crucial.” He added: “The award as best asset manager is therefore both confirmation and motivation for us. It underlines the performance and quality of our investment process. At the same time, it documents the strength of M.M.Warburg & CO: our experience, our stability and our commitment to developing individual solutions for our clients and implementing them responsibly.”
The evaluation methodology is based on the Sharpe ratio, which measures risk-adjusted performance. The results from three risk classes are combined using a points system. The best Sharpe ratio receives 33.33 points and serves as the benchmark for all subsequent placements, which receive points according to the percentage of the top result achieved. The winner is the bank or asset manager with the highest total score out of a maximum of 100 points per period. This approach ensures that not only ranking positions but also the quality of individual results are weighted, meaning that the winner must demonstrate outstanding performance in three different investment strategies.
firstfive AG is an independent controlling and ranking institute with no proprietary asset management activities and no product-specific conflicts of interest. For more than 20 years, the company has maintained a database of around 180 real portfolios from well-known banks and asset managers, which is unique in Europe. By applying recognized financial and mathematical standards, firstfive provides an objective comparison of professional asset managers and, through its quarterly reports, transparently highlights the strengths and weaknesses of portfolio management with regard to return, risk and costs.
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