The Sparkasse Essen was founded in November 1840 and opened for business in 1841. It is an institution under public law. Its legal basis are the North Rhine-Westphalian Sparkassen Act and the statutes laid down by its Supervisory Board. Its governing bodies are the Supervisory Board and the Board of Management.

Sparkasse Essen offers a full range of banking services and is the leading provider of retail banking and corporate banking services in the city of Essen. Total assets of more than EUR 9,1 billion (End of 2020) make Sparkasse Essen the eight biggest Sparkasse in North Rhine-Westphalia and place it among the top thirty Sparkassen in the nationwide Sparkassen rankings published by DSGV, the German Sparkasse Association.

Sparkasse Essen is committed to local people and companies. It actively participates in working groups and associations and provides impulses for the local economy. In this way, the institute contributes to the future viability and innovative strength of the region. Furthermore many initiatives in the areas of sport, culture and social projects are regularly supported by Sparkasse Essen.

Operating more than 30 branches and four corporate banking centers, Sparkassen Essen has the most densely knit network for financial services and financial advice in Essen. In 2020 this was achieved by 1,291 employees. Sparkasse Essen is also one of the most important providers of dual-vocational education in the region.

Since early nineties, Sparkasse Essen has been promoting and advising projects of Deutsche Sparkassenstiftung für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (DSIK) with focus on South East Asia. In this context, it is currently represented by 2 main contact persons: