Lending

When granting credit, ESG aspects are in the interests of a holistic and risk-optimised portfolio management for the Deka Group, alongside economic aspects, and are assessed before making a credit decision. The basis for the credit business is the credit risk strategy of the Deka Group. The Deka Group rules out certain credit business in principle based on a negative list in the credit risk strategy. Its positive list comprises fields of investment in which the Deka Group endeavours to acquire more sustainable financing or to support the extension of these fields of investment. Both lists are published in the Sustainability Report 2024, p. 128-131. Against this background, the following outlines the two financing focuses of real-estate financing and special financing.

Basic information in the Sustainability Report 2024

The following information on this specific topic is available in the Sustainability Report 2024:

• Financing business division: Environmental information Reporting under Article 8 of the Taxonomy Regulation: p. 173-174

 
Supplementary information

In the partial business field of real-estate financing, DekaBank focuses on commercial real-estate financing on transparent markets with market liquidity and a secure legal environment, which are of key importance for the business division Asset Management Real Estate (Asset Management Immobilien, AMI) due to their size, transparency and liquidity. In the countries where this is possible, in principle the coverage fund ability of the credits is striven for. Suitable financing can also be used perspectively for Green Bonds issued by the bank. The customer focus, apart from the traditional investors on a single property level, is also on Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), real-estate companies, pension funds and German open real-estate funds. At the end of the year 2024, there was real-estate credit financing especially in Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland and the USA. The gross credit volume including financing for open real-estate funds was 11.0 billion euros at the end of 2024.
 
For all new business in real-estate financing, its profitability as well as environmental and social criteria are analysed and incorporated into the due diligence assessment. Sustainability certificates are also taken into consideration as a positive element and there is therefore a preference in the initial business contact for real estate with climate-friendly and ecological characteristics. In addition to energy-efficient management, sustainable properties generally have better rentability and higher value stability. This is reflected in the market values of the financed properties.
 
 

Further information

You can find further information on the addressed topics on the Deka Group’s website and/or in relevant documents.

Deka Group’s website:

Documents:

Basic information in the Sustainability Report 2024

The following information on this specific topic is available in the Sustainability Report 2024:

• Financing business division: Environmental information Reporting under Article 8 of the Taxonomy Regulation: p. 173

 
 
Supplementary information


Transport financing

The transport finance portfolio of DekaBank primarily comprises loans that are secured by mortgage through aircraft and ships. The volume of aircraft financing amounted at the end of 2024 to around 1.6 billion euros, while a further 1.2 billion euros went to ship financing and 0.1 billion euros to track vehicle financing.

In principle, DekaBank views the replacement of outdated technologies with those that are new, climate-friendly and ecofriendly as the decisive lever for reducing the negative impacts in the transport sector. DekaBank therefore exclusively finances means of transport that meet the current technical requirements regarding fuel consumption and environmental protection directives. Compliance with environmental and safety regulations, as well as any necessary retrofitting, are always ensured, e.g. through fixed savings mechanisms.

Financed ships must also bear a flag listed by the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control. This ensures the uniform inspection of the ships in the ports, including with regard to compliance with safety and social standards. In addition, as set out in the positive list for financing acquired as a preference by DekaBank, only those ships are financed that are equipped in accordance with the Ballast Water Convention passed by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and also fulfil the IMO 2020 requirements.

In the year 2022, DekaBank entered the initiative “Poseidon Principles”, an international voluntary commitment by and for financial institutes for the climate-friendly financing of ships in accordance with the Paris climate goals. The signatories are obliged to implement a total of four principles of climate-friendly ship financing. These include the obligation to annually measure the carbon intensity of their financing portfolio and to assess its compliance with the Paris climate goals on the basis of established decarbonisation pathways. In 2024, DekaBank achieved a Portfolio Climate Alignment Score of 20.8%, placing it in the top third of signatories. The objectives and measures for decarbonisation of the air transport, marine transport and automotive transport portfolios are documented in the DekaBank Climate Transition Plan 2024.


Infrastructure financing

DekaBank's “Renewable energies; conventional energies & infrastructure” and export finance portfolio has a total volume of €4.3 billion euros (as at the end of 2024). Financing is provided for renewable energy generation plants and their infrastructure, including wind farms, solar parks and hydropower plants, as well as municipal utilities and suppliers that implement modern and sustainable infrastructure investments, particularly as part of the energy transition. DekaBank's Climate Transition Plan 2024 includes targets and measures for the decarbonization of the electricity sector and companies active in the combustion of fossil fuels.
 
 

Further information

You can find further information on the addressed topics on the Deka Group’s website and/or in relevant documents.

Deka Group’s website:

Dokumente: