Windpark Lindenberg der Windprojekte Jan Teut GmbH Windpark Lindenberg der Windprojekte Jan Teut GmbH
Sustainable Finance

Our Green & Social Bond Programmes

Since 2016, we have been issuing Green Bonds that support the expansion of renewable energies. But that was not enough for us: in 2018 we issued our first Social Bond and in 2022 the first Berlin Social Housing Bond.

Green Bonds - We regularly issue green bonds

Solaranlage auf dem Dach der Berliner Energieagentur

We issue green bonds that support environmentally friendly projects. Our many loans in renewable energies underlie our Green Bonds: With a loan volume of around EUR 12 billion (as of 30 June 2022), we are making a significant contribution to the energy transition in Germany.

In June 2016, we issued our first unsecured green bond. Since issuing our first green bond, we have successfully placed two more green bonds. With the green bond issuance in 2021, we reached a special milestone: we were one of the few banks to create a Green Bond Framework that complied with the then draft EU Green Bond Standard and met the strict requirements of the EU Taxonomy.

Social Bonds - First bank to launch a Green and Social Bond Programme

Schulleiter Wayne May mit Schülern im Computer Lab des ISC

As an extension of our sustainable refinancing mix, we published our first social bond programme in September 2018, thus opening up another source of refinancing via the capital market. With our social bonds, we refinance loans that generate added value for our society. They come from our clients in the areas of housing, public supply, health & care, as well as education & research. We were the first bank in Germany to launch a Green Bond and a Social Bond programme. So far, we have issued 4 social bonds - including thematic bonds such as the Berlin Social Housing Bond, the Blue Social Bond and a retail social bond for private customers.

Our Berlin Social Housing Bond transaction of 2022 was a major success. The demand from investors for this socially oriented mortgage Pfandbrief with loans made to the municipal housing companies of Berlin and housing cooperatives as underlying assets was enormous. The bond was oversubscribed almost 5 times with a volume of EUR 500 million, a maturity of 10 years and a coupon of 1.625%.

Our bonds help save 480,000 metric tons of CO2

The Impact & Allocation Reporting measures the sustainable impact of projects refinanced with the help of our Green and Social Bonds. The DKB Green Bonds have contributed to saving more than 480,000 tonnes of CO2 per year through the wind and solar projects refinanced with them. This corresponds to the annual consumption of 350,000 2-person households, i.e. just under a city the size of Frankfurt am Main. With our social bonds, we have refinanced projects for 6 of the 17 "Sustainable Development Goals" with a volume of more than EUR 2 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.

ESG ratings confirm our integration of sustainability

The market for sustainable finance is growing fast. Our bonds are also in high demand for this reason. The ESG research & rating agency ISS-ESG currently gives us a "B-" 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).

ISS-ESG Rating B-, 2021

Investor relations

We have been issuing covered bonds and senior unsecured bonds in the capital market for many years. These are primarily bearer and registered covered bonds (“Pfandbriefe”) in a broad range of maturities as well as green bonds in senior unsecured format.

Do you have questions about Green & Social Bonds?