The theme of the International Week, which the Bundesbank’s University of Applied Sciences has been organising for years, was to address current challenges in the banking sector, with a particular focus on the four “Ds”, i.e. digitalisation, decarbonisation, de-globalisation and demographic developments. In April, 22 students from the People’s Bank of China School of Finance of Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, 13 students from the University of Toulon (France), as well as 11 students each from the SGH Warsaw School of Economics in Warsaw (Poland) and the University of Economics in Bratislava (Slovakia) spent one week in Hachenburg. Together with more than 60 Hachenburg students, a large number of international working groups were formed, each of which dealt with the impact of one of the four “Ds” on the banking sector. Each team represented a medium-sized, internationally active credit institution and was tasked with developing longer-term business strategies as concrete solutions to the challenge it had been assigned to. The aim of the exercise was to raise awareness of the different perspectives and experiences of participants from different countries and to bring them together. The results were then shared in short presentations of around 15 minutes. A jury consisting of the heads of the delegations and full-time lecturers from the Bundesbank’s University of Applied Sciences assessed all results and selected the four best teams. These teams went on to present again their results to all participants, who were then invited to vote on the winning team. The “Hachenburg Trophy 2024” was a large chocolate prize, ideal for all to share. In addition to expanding their own knowledge, working in groups and presenting the results together helps students not only exchange ideas in the common working language, English, but also allows them to get to know each other better on a personal level. In this way, they learn a lot about the different approaches in the respective countries and their culture, said Rector Erich Keller, who initiated the very first International Week back in 2012. 

In addition to the academic programme, joint activities and excursions to Koblenz and the Bundesbank in Frankfurt am Main were organised. A highlight of the leisure programme was the “Evening of Cultures”, where typical German dishes were served alongside specialities from the foreign guests' home countries. The French participants’ freshly baked crêpes were particularly popular, as were sweets from China, Poland and Slovakia. With the support of the university canteen, the German students set up several booths offering typical specialities from various federal states, such as East Frisian tea, southern German “maultaschen” and white sausages, as well as “currywurst” and meatballs, which can be found throughout Germany. The guests further enriched the evening with folklore performances. Singing karaoke together made it clear that tastes in international pop music are not that different and that English is an excellent language not only to study in, but is also a great language to party in, said Selina Möller and Tony Hanschmann. None of the participants will forget this week together anytime soon, agreed Sofie Schöberl and Jan-Ole Lokers. All four students were on the organising team of the Bundesbank University of Applied Sciences.

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