Dear Readers, The Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the energy crisis and the rapid rise in inflation have dominated the year 2022. All of these developments have once again made us aware of the wide range of risks we are exposed to – as an economy and society as a whole, but also each company individually. For us at Deutsche Bank, robust and comprehensive risk management is a cornerstone of our business. This has long since encompassed more than credit, market and other financial risks. Non-financial risks have become an integral part of our risk management. If we do not systematically address the threats posed by climate change or increasing financial crime, we are putting the very basis of our business at risk. It is essential that we do everything in our power to further tighten our controls. This is also a key element in living up to our claim to be at the center of society. It is equally essential that we engage with the communities in which we operate, and that we promote diversity, equity and inclusion inside and outside the bank. We want to be a bank that contributes to a greener (E), more socially responsible (S) and better managed (G) economy, and that is more committed than ever to the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact. I am delighted that in 2022 we once again made great progress in all these areas. To tackle climate change and enable our economy to transform, we have set ourselves concrete targets in the area of sustainability. At the beginning of 2020, we expected to reach € 200 billion in sustainable finance and investments in six years. By the end of 2022, we already achieved € 215 billion, excluding DWS. The fact that we reached our goal in only half the time clearly demonstrates how our businesses prioritize ESG considerations and have made it an integral part of their strategy. We have now set a new goal; to achieve a sustainable business volume of € 500 billion by 2025 for the years 2020 to 2025. This is an ambitious goal given that the criteria for measuring sustainability continue to evolve. Our regulators are driving this development, but we, too, strive for criteria that are as impact-oriented and transparent as possible, and we are continually improving here. We have continued to develop in all areas of our sustainability strategy, with a focus on implementation. Having moved our Sustainability unit out of the Communications department in 2021, we created a new standalone Chief Sustainability Office in 2022 with new areas of strategy and implementation, appointing Jörg Eigendorf as Chief Sustainability Officer, reporting directly to me. At the same time, we further strengthened Group Sustainability, which, as part of the Chief Sustainability Office, primarily comprises policies and controls. This further sharpened focus means that we can develop and implement our strategy even faster; we demonstrated our progress at our second Sustainability Deep Dive in March this year. Our roadmap to a climate-neutral banking business is key here. As a founding member of the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, in March 2022, for the first time, we fulfilled our voluntary commitment by publishing the carbon footprint of our corporate loan portfolio, which comprises around a quarter of our total loan book. In October 2022, we defined target paths for the four most energy-intensive sectors – oil and gas (upstream); power generation; automotives (light vehicles); steel – with interim targets for 2030. By gradually integrating CO considerations into 2 our decision-making processes, we can actively steer our progress here. Our goal is to make our credit portfolio climate- neutral by 2050. At the same time, we believe that we have a responsibility to support our clients on this transition and that this is the right approach with regard to the global climate. We would only consider ending a client relationship as a last resort if we fail to agree on a common approach to fighting climate change. It does not help anyone if we as a bank reduce our own carbon footprint but fail to make the world any cleaner as a result. There is more progress to report. This includes the fact that, since mid-2022, in order to continue doing business with us, our suppliers with an annual contract volume of more than € 500,000 are required to have an ESG rating. By doing so, we are designing our entire value chain according to strict environmental and social criteria – with a focus on human rights. Accordingly, we have implemented all obligations under the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act on time and will continue to do so consistently. As a bank with a global network, we are aware of our responsibility for fighting financial crime on the front lines. That is why we have stepped up our commitment to anti-financial crime by focusing more people on these issues, improving processes and establishing external partnerships. In 2022, for example, we increased our Anti-Financial Crime department by more than 340 to over 1,900 employees, and in mid-2022 Management Board member Stefan Simon took over as a member of the Board of the Anti-Financial Crime Alliance (AFCA). 3