Düsseldorf/Münster, September 2, 2025
In the first six months of 2025, NRW.BANK extended promotional funds totalling nearly 6.9 billion euros, 65 percent more than in the same period of the previous year (€ 4.2 billion). Demand picked up in all three promotional fields, i.e. Economy, Housing and Infrastructure/Municipalities.
The promotional field Infrastructure/Municipalities accounted for about half of the promotion volume, with demand for renewable energy financing growing particularly dynamically. Under the NRW.BANK.Infrastruktur programme alone, NRW.BANK extended more than 1.0 billion euros primarily for the financing of wind farms.
“Growing demand for infrastructure finance is a strong signal, as a modern infrastructure is the very foundation of a sustainable economy and society,” says Gabriela Pantring, designated Chairwoman of the Managing Board of NRW.BANK. “Our six-month figures show that our promotion is effective, leads to more investment and drives the sustainable transformation.”
NRW.BANK also left its mark in the field of economic promotion, where the promotion volume increased by more than a fifth. This was due in no small part to the NRW.BANK.Invest Zukunft programme launched in mid-May. Under this programme, NRW.BANK granted a total of 92.7 million euros to companies investing in innovation, digitalisation and sustainability. In the meantime, more than 1,000 loans in the total amount of 241.2 million euros have been approved.
“Sentiment in the North Rhine-Westphalian economy is gradually improving and companies are a little more optimistic about the future,” says Gabriela Pantring. “This is exactly where NRW.BANK.Invest Zukunft comes in, whose attractive terms ensure that investments pay off more quickly and thus give growth an additional boost.”
The individual promotional fields in detail:
In the promotional field Infrastructure/Municipalities, NRW.BANK recorded a volume of new commitments of 3.5 billion euros in the first half of 2025 (2024: € 1.7 billion). This means that demand more than doubled.
Most of the increase was attributable to the NRW.BANK.Infrastruktur programme, under which a total of 1.3 billion euros was extended for projects ranging from wind farms to schools to broadband. There were two main reasons for this: first, the reduced EU reference interest rate, which made state aid-free conditions in the programme much more attractive again. Second, NRW.BANK had restructured and optimised the programme in mid-2024, which also increased its attractiveness.
Promotional funds for the modernisation and construction of schools and day nurseries also showed a positive trend. Under its NRW.BANK.Moderne Schule programme, NRW.BANK extended a total of 195.3 million euros, 84 percent more than in the same period of the previous year (2024: € 106.0 million).
In the promotional field Economy, NRW.BANK supported companies and start-ups in North Rhine-Westphalia with a total of 1.4 billion euros. The volume was thus up by 22 percent on the prior-year period (€ 1.2 billion).
At 697.0 million euros, almost half of the volume of new commitments was accounted for by the NRW.BANK.Universalkredit loan and the NRW.BANK.Gründung und Wachstum programme (2024: € 577.3 million, +21%). The solid increase in these programmes and the dynamic growth of the NRW.BANK.Invest Zukunft programme suggest that sentiment in the economy has improved in spite of the geopolitical uncertainties.
NRW.BANK also invested significantly more venture capital in start-ups. The volume of new commitments in the seed programmes and the NRW.Venture venture capital fund increased by more than half to a total of 19.2 million euros (2024: € 11.3 million).
In the promotional field Housing, NRW.BANK committed a total of 1.9 billion euros in the first half of 2025, up 51 percent on the same period of the previous year (€ 1.3 billion). The NRW.BANK.Wohneigentum programme again showed a positive trend. Under this programme, NRW.BANK extended 254.4 million euros to support private individuals in financing their own homes, up from 135.5 million euros in the same period of the previous year (+88%).
For more information, visit www.nrwbank.de/en
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.