Themen:
Media Release
Frankfurt am Main, November 17, 2025
Deutsche Bank today announced an update to its sustainability strategy, introducing a new long-term sustainable and transition finance target and publishing its initial Transition Finance Framework to contribute towards the global shift to a low-carbon economy. The bank underpinned its focus on nature-related solutions with a new nature transaction ambition.
New cumulative sustainable and transition finance target for the end of 2030
Deutsche Bank’s updated target is to facilitate €900 billion sustainable finance, ESG investments, and transition finance (ex-DWS) by the end of 2030². This figure includes €440 billion already achieved in sustainable finance and ESG investments from January 2020 through the end of Q3 2025.
For its new target, the bank distinguishes between sustainable finance and transition finance. Sustainable finance³ refers to the financing of pure-play ecological or socially sustainable activities or companies. For example, financing the construction of a solar farm or the production of green hydrogen - produced using only renewable electricity - qualifies as sustainable finance because it supports activities that are inherently low-carbon and required in a net-zero economy. Transition finance⁴ involves the financing of activities required on a credible path towards net zero as well as sustainability-linked solutions. For example, this includes providing a loan to retrofit a gas-fired power plant for hydrogen co-firing or financing the production of turquoise hydrogen - where natural gas is used but carbon is captured in solid form.
“While our expanded target shows our continuous commitment to sustainability, it also means a fundamental shift into a new era by including transition finance offerings for our clients”, said Jörg Eigendorf, Deutsche Bank’s Chief Sustainability Officer. “With the publication of our Transition Finance Framework, we can mobilize capital at scale for technologies that cut emissions and strengthen resilience of our clients according to clear and transparent criteria. It will help deepen our client relationships by supporting them in enhancing their transition maturity.”
Publication of the bank’s first Transition Finance Framework
To build a transparent foundation for its updated target, Deutsche Bank is introducing its Transition Finance Framework (TFF), effective January 1, 2026. The framework complements the existing Sustainable Finance Framework and defines three parameters of transition finance:
The Transition Finance Framework is fully embedded in Deutsche Bank’s governance processes and has received a positive second party opinion by ISS-Corporate, confirming alignment with evolving market standards.
As of January 1, 2026, only activity-level transactions (Parameter 1) and sustainability-linked solutions (Parameter 3) will count toward the bank’s new sustainable finance and transition finance target. In contrast, entity-level transactions (Parameter 2) will not be included. The bank aims to report these volumes separately in the future, as Parameter 2 transition finance represents a new dimension for which the bank is implementing a system-based solution. This careful rollout underscores Deutsche Bank’s commitment to credibility and integrity in transition finance.
Nature transaction ambition defined
In addition to climate-focused initiatives, Deutsche Bank underpins its commitment to biodiversity as well as ecosystem conservation and restoration. The bank aims to facilitate 300 transactions by the end of 2027 which contribute to these purposes in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 14: Life Below Water, and SDG 15: Life on Land).
These transactions are intended to support projects that safeguard natural resources, promote regenerative value chains, and support the “Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework”, encompassing emerging instruments such as biodiversity credits and nature-related financing.
The newly introduced ambition has been reviewed and shaped in collaboration with Deutsche Bank’s Nature Advisory Panel, which was initially introduced in October 2023. The ambition represents one of the externally visible outcomes of the panel’s integrated work, translating strategic guidance into measurable action.
In the context of nature-related solutions, Deutsche Bank announced at the COP30 in Belém, Brazil, on November 7, 2025, that it will partner with Honduras, Suriname, Bayer AG, Siemens AG, Symrise AG and the Coalition for Rainforest Nations to work on a new asset class for rainforest protection
¹,² Cumulative figures include sustainable and transition financing as well as ESG investment activities (ex-DWS), as defined in Deutsche Bank’s Sustainable Finance Framework, Transition Finance Framework, and ESG Investments Framework, all of which are published on the bank’s website.
³,⁴ As defined and set out in our Sustainable Finance Framework or Transition Finance Framework published on the bank’s website.
⁵Prior to the publication of the Transition Finance Framework, sustainability-linked solutions were governed by the Sustainable Finance Framework, following the same underlying methodology and requirements. Effective as of January 1, 2026, all transactions labelled as sustainability-linked solutions will be reported as transition finance.
For general information about Deutsche Bank’s sustainability strategy, transition plan, and sustainable and transition finance, please visit the sustainability section of our website.
ESG Classification
Deutsche Bank defines the bank’s sustainable financing and ESG investment activities in the “Sustainable Financing Framework” and “Deutsche Bank ESG Investments Framework” and its transition finance activities in the “Transition Finance Framework”, which are available at investor-relations.db.com. Given the cumulative definition of the bank’s target, in cases where validation against the Framework cannot be completed before the end of the reporting quarter, volumes are reported upon completion of the validation in subsequent quarters. In Asset Management, for details on ESG product classification of DWS, please refer to the section “Our Responsibility – Sustainable Action – Our Product Suite” in DWS Annual Report 2024.
About Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank provides retail and private banking, corporate and transaction banking, lending, asset and wealth management products and services as well as focused investment banking to private individuals, small and medium-sized companies, corporations, governments and institutional investors. Deutsche Bank is the leading bank in Germany with strong European roots and a global network.
Forward-looking statements
This release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they include statements about our beliefs and expectations and the assumptions underlying them. These statements are based on plans, estimates and projections as they are currently available to the management of Deutsche Bank. Forward-looking statements therefore speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update publicly any of them in light of new information or future events.
By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. A number of important factors could therefore cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement.
Such factors include the conditions in the financial markets in Germany, in Europe, in the United States and elsewhere from which we derive a substantial portion of our revenues and in which we hold a substantial portion of our assets, the development of asset prices and market volatility, potential defaults of borrowers or trading counterparties, the implementation of our strategic initiatives, the reliability of our risk management policies, procedures and methods, and other risks referenced in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Such factors are described in detail in our SEC Form 20-F of 13 March 2025 under the heading “Risk Factors”. Copies of this document are readily available upon request or can be downloaded from www.db.com/ir
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