KfW, the German development bank, announced plans to intensify its focus on bolstering Germany's economic competitiveness in 2025. Stefan Wintels, KfW's Chief Executive Officer, highlighted this strategic direction at the annual press conference in Frankfurt. He emphasized that the bank would utilize its financial strength to support German industry and small to medium enterprises (SMEs).
"KfW is strengthening its focus on Germany as a business location," said Wintels. "In the coming years, we will examine our activities even more closely to see whether they provide impetus for Germany’s competitiveness."
In 2024, KfW used around EUR 500 million from its own funds for domestic promotional activities. The institution aims to maintain or exceed this level of investment in 2025.
Additionally, climate action remains a significant priority for KfW. Wintels stated, "As a responsible bank, the efforts against global warming and for the preservation of biodiversity remain a central focus of KfW." Since 2017, the bank has committed approximately EUR 350 billion towards financing climate action and environmental protection.
The year 2024 saw KfW achieving a new business volume of EUR 112.8 billion, slightly surpassing the previous year's figure. The domestic promotional business increased marginally to EUR 79 billion. Internationally, KfW's business units such as IPEX-Bank and DEG reported substantial contributions supporting German and European economies amidst challenging market conditions.
KfW IPEX-Bank secured new commitments amounting to EUR 23.9 billion in export and project finance sectors while DEG recorded EUR 2.5 billion in private investments for developing countries under globally challenging conditions.
Looking ahead to funding its promotional activities in 2025, KfW anticipates raising between EUR 65 to 70 billion from international capital markets with about EUR 10 billion through "Green Bonds – Made by KfW."