For several years, the topic of trust has been particularly in focus for banks. The financial crisis, due to numerous write-downs and defaults, has led to a significant loss of customer trust in banks. Against this backdrop, the objective of this study is to first derive a transferable understanding of trust from the heterogeneous research on trust that applies to the relationship between customer and bank, then to identify the suitability of trustworthiness as a competitive advantage for a bank, and finally to provide strategic management with a framework for enhancing this competitive advantage. This approach not only addresses a research gap by theoretically examining the suitability of trust as a competitive advantage but also presents concrete implementation possibilities through practical examples.