Hände bedienen ein Tablet, auf dem eine digitle Weltkarte zu sehen ist. Die Bildthemen sind Datenanalyse, globale Vernetzung und digitale Transformation.

    Progress report 2025 | 2026:

    Accelerating digitalisation and innovation

    Digital transformation and innovative projects play a strategic role in the future viability of the economy and society. KfW IPEX-Bank contributes to this by providing project and corporate finance for the construction and expansion of digital infrastructure as well as for innovative technologies of the future, such as hydrogen infrastructure or carbon capture solutions. The focus is on effective networks and technological innovations that can form part of modern, sustainable infrastructure and drive the transformation of value creation processes. In this way, the bank is strengthening the digital and technological revolution in Germany and worldwide. It strengthens the competitiveness and future viability of companies and markets.

    Animierte Illustration von zwei Personen am Laptop mit digitalen Netzwerken im Hintergrund. Symbolisiert Digitalisierung, Datenverarbeitung und Förderung digitaler Projekte. Links zählt eine animierte Zahl hoch auf den Wert 1,5 Milliarden Euro. Das entspricht der Finanzierung von Digitalisierungsprojekten der KfW IPEX-Bank in 2025.

    KfW IPEX-Bank’s proposals for a digital infrastructure agenda in Germany and Europe

    Digital sovereignty is a question of funding

    • Germany and Europe are heavily reliant on non-European providers in key areas of digital infrastructure – such as cloud solutions, semiconductor manufacturing and hyperscale data centres. Building up our own capabilities requires long-term capital and resilient funding structures.

    Investment gap remains structurally high

    • The expansion of digital infrastructure in Europe will require investments running into the hundreds of billions by 2030. This applies in particular to data centres, nationwide fibre-optic roll-out and 5G/6G coverage.

    Project finance is becoming a key enabler of the transformation

    • Digital infrastructure is increasingly developing into a distinct asset class. Standardisation, a reliable regulatory framework and scalable business models are prerequisites for mobilising private capital.

    Financing expertise is key

    • The successful implementation of digital infrastructure projects requires structured financing solutions capable of mobilising large volumes and managing complex consortia. KfW IPEX-Bank brings its strength in structuring and syndicating international projects to bear here, making even challenging projects bankable – for example in the field of sustainable data centres and digital networks.

    Progress in practice

    Innovative carbon capture technologies as a driving force for industrial transformation and competitiveness

    Financing to support the decarbonisation of one of the UK’s most energy-intensive industrial regions also falls within this context. Through its commitment to carbon capture and storage (CCS), KfW IPEX-Bank is contributing to the development of technologically advanced infrastructure. This fundamentally transforms industrial processes and significantly reduces CO₂ emissions. Carbon capture solutions are a prime example of innovative technologies of the future that combine digital control and monitoring systems with highly complex engineering technology. The project underpins the bank’s financing of technological progress that protects competitiveness while accelerating the transition towards climate-compatible industry as part of its focus area of “Digitalisation and Innovation”.

    CO₂ storage for energy-intensive industrial clusters

    KfW-IPEX Bank’s investment demonstrates that German and European banks are taking responsibility on a global scale and investing their technological and financial expertise in pioneering infrastructure.

    Building effective CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure is crucial to the structural transformation of energy-intensive industrial clusters as they progress towards climate neutrality. Against this background, KfW IPEX-Bank is investing GBP 100 million in the Liverpool Bay CCS project in the United Kingdom. The aim is to establish an integrated system for the capture, transport and permanent storage of CO₂, bringing about the decarbonisation of one of the most energy-intensive industrial areas in North West England and North Wales.

    Legal notice:

    The information contained in this online Annual Report 2025 is based on KfW IPEX-Bank’s Management Report 2025, which you can download here. Should this online Annual Report 2025, despite the great care taken in preparation of its content, contain any contradictions or errors compared to the Management Report, KfW IPEX-Bank’s Management Report 2025 takes priority.