Skip to main content
17 Sep 2020 – Articles

Danske Bank supports green transition in developing countries

Danske Bank provides loans to the implementation of projects in developing countries in co-operation with the Danish Government. The funding aligns with our ambition to contribute to the green transition and sustainable growth.

Danske Bank has recently provided green loans to finance wind farms in Bolivia and Ethiopia along with a water treatment facility in Vietnam. These loans were provided in co-operation with Danida Sustainable Infrastructure Finance (DSIF) as part of Denmark’s development aid to developing countries.

Unique for the Danish banking industry
Internationally, this type of non-commercially viable projects are often financed through state-owned development banks, however, in Denmark, the financing is facilitated and funded through commercial banks. DSIF selects the specific projects and Danske Bank facilitates the financing with funding and financial expertise. Furthermore, DSIF pays the interest rates of the loans on behalf of the lenders and the repayment risk is covered by a guarantee issued by EKF, Denmark's Export Credit Agency.


We are proud to facilitate the Danish Government’s efforts in development projects and to support a sustainable economic growth in developing countries. In addition hereto we actually support the export business of our clients and hereby also ensure employment and green-tech development in Denmark.

Jesper Brøchner Pettersson

Head of Structured Export Finance and SCF



With the loans, Danske Bank is taking the next step in the ambition to contribute to the sustainable growth in developing countries.

“In Danske Bank, we have the required know-how, resources and a setup to manage these DSIF supported long-term loans. By acting as Lender, in close co-operation with DSIF, we do our part to secure the best outcome for these projects. We are proud to facilitate the Danish Government’s efforts in development projects and to support a sustainable economic growth in developing countries. In addition hereto we actually support the export business of our clients and hereby also ensure employment and green-tech development in Denmark," says Jesper Brøchner Pettersson, Head of Structured Export Finance and SCF.

Contributing to the green transition
The windfarms in Bolivia and Ethiopia will not only secure universal and equitable access to stabile electricity, but also reduce respectively 140,000 and 176,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually compared to electricity generated with natural gas as fuel source.


The co-operation between Danske Bank and the Danish Government provides an incentive for developing countries to become greener and prioritise more sustainable solutions. This aligns with our overall work and ambitions in Danske Bank Sustainable Finance, which is to contribute to a more sustainable future and less social inequality.

Samu Slotte

Head of Sustainable Finance, Danske Bank



"The co-operation between Danske Bank and the Danish Government provides an incentive for developing countries to become greener and prioritise more sustainable solutions. This aligns with our overall work and ambitions in Danske Bank Sustainable Finance, which is to contribute to a more sustainable future and less social inequality," says Samu Slotte, Head of Sustainable Finance.

DSIF supports the financing of sustainable infrastructure projects in developing countries based on the countries’ development strategies, delivering measurable results toward UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This creates growth and employment in developing countries.