KfW

The KfW, which together with its subsidiaries DEG, KfW IPEX-Bank and FuB forms the KfW Bankengruppe ("banking group"), is a German state-owned investment and development bank, based in Frankfurt. As of 2025, it is one of the world's leading development banks, ranking third globally by total assets according to the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute. It also remains Germany's third largest bank overall. Its name originally comes from Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau ("Credit Institute for Reconstruction"). It was formed in 1948 after World War II as part of the Marshall Plan. In 2024, Germany was the second-largest provider of development co-operation among the Development Assistance Committee (DAC). Germany's total official development assistance (ODA) decreased to USD 32.4 billion (preliminary data), representing 0.67% of gross national income (GNI). Bilateral co-operation, primarily led by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), constitutes the bulk of this assistance, while the Federal Foreign Office oversees humanitarian aid and crisis prevention.