We promote Germany

We finance investments in the future by people in Germany; we finance start-ups and SMEs so that the German economy will remain strong, and we finance municipal and social infrastructures in order to advance structural change and the common good. KfW supported the domestic economy to the tune of EUR 55.1 billion in 2016, thereby exceeding the promotion provided to commercial, private and municipal customers in 2015 by EUR 4.6 billion (~9%).

This development is primarily due to:

  • Strong demand for loans to construct energy-efficient housing totalling EUR 11.3 billion (+ EUR 4.3 billion year on year)
  • Strong demand from companies for funding for energy-efficiency projects totalling EUR 5.2 billion (+ EUR 1.4 billion year on year)

Domestic promotional business (EUR in billions)

Commitments in key promotional areas 2016 (figures rounded)

Key promotional areaCommitments 2016 (EUR in millions)Commitments 2015 (EUR in millions)
Environment10,7279,301
Start-ups and general corporate financing10,05210,324
Innovation608806
Housing20,82516,468
Education2,3192,643
Infrastructure4,0744,954
Other (global loans and individual financing)6,4805,988




Legal notice:
The information contained in this online Annual Report 2016 is based on KfW’s Financial Report 2016, which you can download here. Should this online Annual Report 2016, despite the great care taken in preparation of its content, contain any contradictions or errors compared to the Financial Report, the KfW Financial Report 2016 takes priority.

Financial Report 2016 (PDF)

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