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KfW Development Bank in 2022

We promote development

KfW promotes projects in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and South-East Europe on behalf of the German Federal Government. The bank supports developing countries and emerging economies in alleviating poverty, securing peace, protecting the environment, mitigating climate change and ensuring fair globalisation.

Find out more about KfW Development Bank

Significant increase in new commitments to EUR 10.9 billion (2021: EUR 8.6 billion)

Despite ongoing global crises, the promotion of a sustainable transformation remains the focus of Financial Cooperation. Initiatives regarding the global energy transition/security included energy partnerships with India, Indonesia and South Africa, for example.

Ukraine is being supported with significantly increased commitments to maintain its state functions – for example, energy and water supply – and to meet the needs of internally displaced persons.

You can find out more about the source, use and impact of our promotional funds in KfW's transparency portal as well as on the SDG portal and impact pages.

Climate action – mitigating climate change for a sustainable future

Climate change is among the greatest challenges currently facing humanity. Developing countries contribute the least to climate change, yet also suffer the most from extreme weather conditions, such as droughts, floods and heat waves.

On behalf of the German Federal Government, KfW is supporting its partner countries around the world as they reorganise their social and economic systems. In 2022, commitments totalling EUR 7.6 billion were made for projects relevant to climate and the environment. This is expected to save around 11 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year in the future. With its new commitments in 2022, KfW’s energy sector is also contributing to providing around 870,000 people with first-time or improved access to a modern energy supply. The promotion of energy efficiency is expected to save over 2,400,000MWh of energy per year in the coming years. In addition, it is expected to generate over 1,152MW of additional installed capacity from renewable energies (around 4,000GWh of energy generated per year).

Find out more about SDG 13 and SDG 7

Biodiversity – protecting life under water and on land

Conserving nature and protecting biodiversity is an issue of central importance for the future for humanity. Specifically, three inter-related crises need to be resolved all at once: limiting climate change to a tolerable level, preventing and containing pandemics, and preserving biodiversity. Germany is strongly committed to the conservation of biological diversity, and, through the work of KfW, is now one of the largest donors worldwide for the protection of habitats both on land and underwater. KfW is promoting more than 300 projects in 60 countries and regions, which include significantly more than 800 nature conservation areas worldwide. Commitments for SDG 14 projects amounted to around EUR 108 million in 2022, while commitments for SDG 15 projects amounted to over EUR 830 million.

Find out more about SDG 14 and SDG 15

Fragile states, reconstruction and food security

In 2022, EUR 592 million was committed for projects and programmes in the area of peace, justice and strong institutions. In Lebanon, KfW Development Bank is supporting projects that promote sustainable development while also creating jobs.

Digitalisation – using technology sustainably and thereby fostering development

Digitalisation is playing an important role as a driver of innovation and is an integral part of infrastructure in an increasingly digitalised economy and society. Digital technologies improve the efficiency of processes and systems as well as enhance the transparency of government actions and thereby accountability to its citizens. Sustainable and inclusive use of digital technologies can reduce the various barriers to the implementation of our projects and improve the impact of our commitment. New commitments for KfW Development Bank projects aiming to support SDG 9 amounted to around EUR 793 million in 2022. In total, the current portfolio comprises 325 projects that are geared towards digital transformation or contain larger digital components.

Find out more about SDG 9

Legal notice:
The information contained in this online Annual Report 2022 is based on KfW’s Financial Report 2022, which you can download here. Should this online Annual Report 2022, despite the great care taken in preparation of its content, contain any contradictions or errors compared to the Financial Report, the KfW Financial Report 2022 takes priority.