Our Sustainable Bond Programs
Since 2016, we have issued green and social bonds to support the expansion of renewable energies and the provision of affordable housing, municipal utilities, hospitals, and care facilities, as well as school and daycare places.
Since 2025: DKB can issue bonds under the EU Green Bond Standard
We issue green bonds that refinance environmentally friendly projects. Today, DKB is the largest financier of the energy transition in Germany, with a lending volume of just under €17 billion (as of December 31, 2024).
In June 2016, we issued our first unsecured green bond and have since successfully placed two further green bonds. The wind and solar projects refinanced via green bonds comply with the requirements of the EU taxonomy and thus contribute to sustainable transformation. In 2025, we converted our existing green bond framework into a comprehensive sustainable bond framework that complies with the Green and Social Bond Principles of the International Capital Market Association (ICMA). In addition, we were the first German bank to publish the information sheet in accordance with Article 10 of EU Regulation 2023/2631 (EU Green Bond Factsheet) in the same year.
Social bonds – part of DKB's brand DNA
Financing public services is part of DKB's brand DNA: in September 2018, we issued our first social bond. The loans refinanced through social bonds are granted to clients in the areas of public housing, utilities, healthcare and nursing facilities, and education and research. To date, we have issued eight social bonds, including thematic bonds such as four Social Housing Bonds, the Berlin Social Housing Bond, the Blue Social Bond, and a retail social bond for retail clients.
In 2025, we very successfully placed our fifth social housing bond (mortgage Pfandbrief). The underlying assets for this transaction are loans granted by DKB to municipal housing associations and housing cooperatives. The transaction was extremely well received and attracted considerable interest from investors. In particular, large-volume orders for dedicated ESG portfolios were activated. The proceeds from the social bond issue contribute to the creation of affordable and social housing.
Our bonds help save several hundred thousand tons of CO2.
The Impact & Allocation Reporting measures the sustainable impact of projects refinanced with the help of our Green and Social Bonds. In 2024, the funds from the currently outstanding DKB Green Bonds have enabled wind and solar projects to save over 231,000 tons of CO₂ per year – equivalent to the consumption of around 184,000 two-person households, or a city the size of Bochum. With our Social Bonds, we have refinanced projects for 6 of the 17 "Sustainable Development Goals" with a volume of more than EUR 3 billion and thus strengthened these sustainable goals:
SDG 3 Health and well-being,
SDG 4 Quality education,
SDG 6 Clean water and sanitation,
SDG 10 Reduced inequalities,
SDG 11 Sustainable cities and communities,
SDG 16 Peace and justice.
All our documents and reports on our Green and Social Bonds at a glance
Sustainable Bond Framework
Impact & Allocation Reporting
Impact & Allocation Reporting for Green and Social Bonds 2024
ISS Report Review for the Impact & Allocation Reporting 2024
European Green Bond Standard
ESG ratings confirm our sustainability approach
The issue of sustainability has become firmly established on the financial markets. This is also reflected in the continued high demand for our bonds. The ESG research & rating agency ISS-ESG currently gives us a "C+" rating. This corresponds to Prime Status, Decile Rank 1 and an "Industry Leaders" ranking among national and international commercial, state and regional banks (approx. 270 banks).
