Frankfurt am Main. In the first half of 2026, Rentenbank recorded an increase in new business to EUR 5.8 billion (H1 2025: EUR 5.3 billion). Special promotional loans performed particularly strongly, with new business in this area rising by 51.4% to EUR 4.2 billion (H1 2025: EUR 2.8 billion). New business in the “Primary Production” customer group grew by 11.3% to EUR 1.1 billion (H1 2025: EUR 989.5 million). Investment in livestock housing, particularly for cattle, poultry and pigs, was above the prior-year level. The “Agribusiness” customer group also recorded strong growth, with new business rising by 32.5% to EUR 586.5 million (H1 2025: EUR 442.8 million). The “Renewable Energies” customer group recorded particularly strong growth, with new business more than doubling to approximately EUR 1.6 billion, primarily due to the financing of wind turbines (H1 2025: EUR 636.6 million).
“The historically strong half-year results in our promotional business demonstrate that Rentenbank’s promotional portfolio enables us to respond rapidly and continuously to the challenges as they arise. Since 2022, we have been pursuing a comprehensive internal transformation process that is strategically realigning our bank and equipping it for the future. Our business strategy focuses firmly on the needs of our customer groups by bringing innovative and efficient products to market. We will continue resolutely along this path so that, as a strong and reliable promotional bank for agriculture and rural areas, we can continue to make a meaningful impact,” said Nikola Steinbock, Chairwoman of Rentenbank’s Management Board.
Three quarters of planned issuance volume already reached
To fund its promotional business, Rentenbank raised EUR 8.0 billion in medium- and long-term funding on the international capital markets in the first half of 2026 (H1 2025: EUR 6.5 billion). This means that the bank has already completed three quarters of its planned issuance volume of EUR 11 billion for 2026 as a whole, at significantly tighter spreads than anticipated. The euro was the most important issuance currency, accounting for 36% of the total (H1 2025: 48%). The US dollar’s share remained virtually unchanged at 26% (H1 2025: 27%). International investors accounted for 85% of the issuance volume (H1 2025: 83%). The largest investor groups in the first half of 2026 were commercial banks, with a share of 58% (H1 2025: 50%), and central banks, with 27% (H1 2025: 30%).
Innovation support contributes to the Federal Government’s new start-up strategy
The Federal Government’s new Start-up and Scale-up Strategy includes Rentenbank’s measures to strengthen the start-up and venture capital ecosystem. Together with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (Bundesministerium für Landwirtschaft, Ernährung und Heimat; BMLEH), we provide targeted support to start-ups operating in agriculture-related fields. We use the Federal Government’s Special Purpose Fund to provide subordinated loans and innovation vouchers to early-stage start-ups operating in agriculture-related fields. Rentenbank also invests in venture capital funds and has allocated a total budget of EUR 230 million for this purpose. Through the “Growth Alliance” start-up programme, specialised programmes and partnerships with business, academia and policymakers, start-ups are supported throughout their journey – from the initial idea and the development of a business model through to scaling in an accelerator environment. The “Growth Alliance” is a joint initiative of Rentenbank, the BMLEH and Frankfurt-based TechQuartier.
Key figures as at 30 June 2026 (PDF)
Background:
Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank is Germany’s development agency for agribusiness and rural areas. Its promotional mandate covers not only agriculture and forestry, but also the entire food value chain, the increased use of energy from renewable sources, and the promotion of bio-economy solutions. Rentenbank attaches particular importance to the promotion of innovation, including research and development in universities, the early-stage financing of agriculture-related start-ups, and the market introduction and practical use of new technologies and products. Rentenbank’s promotional instruments are subsidies and special promotional loans. The special promotional loans are granted via the financing partners of the ultimate borrowers on a competitively neutral basis. Rentenbank provides funding to banks, savings banks, and local authorities operating in rural areas. The Bank is a federal institution under public law whose capital stock was formed by contributions from the German agriculture and forestry sectors. It is subject to the German Banking Act (KWG) and is regulated by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and the Bundesbank. As one of the few triple-A rated institutions in Germany, Rentenbank raises funds in the capital markets.
With effect from 1 July 2026, Rentenbank reorganised its existing promotional lines into five customer groups and consolidated the individual programmes into one central document for each customer group. The customer groups are: “Primary Production”, “Renewable Energy”, “Agribusiness”, “Rural Development” and “Other Special Promotional Loans”. The definition of new business was also amended to provide a clearer presentation of Rentenbank’s core promotional activities (see key figures sheet). The prior-year figures have been adjusted to ensure comparability.
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that are based on current expectations, estimates, assumptions and projections of the Management Board and on the information currently available to it. These statements include, in particular, statements about our plans, strategies and prospects. Such forward-looking statements are identified by words such as ‘expects’, ‘anticipates’, ‘intends’, ‘plans’, ‘believes’, ‘seeks’, ‘estimates’ and similar expressions. These statements are not to be understood as guarantees of future performance; instead, they are dependent on factors that involve risks and uncertainties and are based on assumptions that may prove to be incorrect. Except where required by law, we assume no obligation to update forward-looking statements after the publication of the present press release.
