Düsseldorf/Münster, September 20, 2024
NRW.BANK has issued its tenth social bond in total and the second of the year 2024. The volume of the bond, which has a term of 15 years, is 500 million euros. Since 2020, the promotional bank for North Rhine-Westphalia has placed its social bonds in the European and Australian capital markets.
“Through our social bonds, we refinance projects that offer significant social benefits and allow investors to take part in them,” says Gabriela Pantring, Deputy Chairwoman of the Managing Board of NRW.BANK. “We back projects with a social focus because they play a crucial role in the successful transformation of both the economy and society.”
The proceeds from the tenth NRW.BANK.Social Bond will be used to fund, for example, projects that promote affordable home ownership, the preservation and creation of jobs, support for municipalities, e.g. in school education, activities in the health and care sector as well as investments in disaster management. The thematic bond is therefore in line with the ICMA Social Bond Principles.
The tenth social bond issue garnered particular interest from investors in Germany and other European countries. The sectoral focus was on banks and official institutions. Deutsche Bank, Helaba, J.P. Morgan and NatWest Markets acted as lead managers.
The promotional bank for North Rhine-Westphalia is one of the pioneers in the field of thematic bonds. Back in 2013, NRW.BANK was the first regional promotional bank in Germany to issue a Green Bond to fund environmentally friendly projects promoting clean water and green energy in NRW. In June 2020, it was the first German promotional bank to place a EUR 1 billion social bond in the German capital market.
The social benefit of the projects funded has recently been confirmed by the serviced provider ISS ESG, according to which the bond addresses six of the UN Sustainable Development Goals: (1) Zero Poverty; (3) Good Health and Well-being; (4) Quality Education; (5) Gender Equality; (8) Decent Work and Economic Growth as well as (10) Reduced Inequalities.
For more information on the NRW.BANK.Social Bond, visit www.nrwbank.de/en/about-us/investor-relations/social-bonds/.
To learn more about sustainability at NRW.BANK, see www.nrwbank.de/en/about-us/sustainability.
NRW.BANK - the promotional bank for North Rhine-Westphalia
NRW.BANK is the promotional bank of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). In close partnership with its owner, the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Bank helps to strengthen SMEs and start-ups, create affordable housing and improve public infrastructure. To fulfil its mandate, NRW.BANK offers people, enterprises and local authorities tailor-made financing solutions and advisory services. It cooperates with its financing partners, in particular all banks and savings banks, on a competition-neutral basis. NRW.BANK operates largely independently of the state budget. In order to accelerate the transformation processes, the promotional bank provides effective promotional impulses – for a sustainable, climate-neutral and digital North Rhine-Westphalia.