The socially and ecologically oriented bank and the state-owned housing company have signed their first loan agreement worth €58 million. The loan will finance energy efficiency modernisation measures aimed at reducing CO₂ emissions across Gewobag’s housing stock while keeping rents affordable.
„In our business approach, we focus above all on social foundations. Together with Gewobag, we want to help ensure that people have access to healthy and affordable housing.“ Aysel Osmanoglu, Member of the Board of Directors, GLS Bank
Markus Terboven, Member of the Board of Directors of Gewobag: „In GLS Bank, we have found a reliable, values-driven financing partner that has social responsibility and public good orientation embedded in its DNA just as deeply as Gewobag does. Together, we want to significantly reduce the CO₂ emissions of our housing stock and keep rents affordable — through targeted energy efficiency modernisation measures for climate-friendly, sustainable, and future-proof housing in Berlin.“
Gewobag is one of Germany’s largest municipal housing companies and is pursuing ambitious climate targets: by 2045, the company aims to make its entire housing stock climate-compatible. To this end, approximately €1.4 billion has already been earmarked in financial planning up to 2035. Seven large residential districts comprising around 14,000 apartments will be comprehensively renovated during this period.
New construction also remains a key pillar in securing affordable housing in Berlin: at the close of 2025, more than 3,500 apartments were under construction. Around 70 per cent of all newly let apartments went to households holding a housing entitlement certificate (Wohnberechtigungsschein).
What GLS Bank and Gewobag share, above all, is the conviction that real estate is not merely an asset class for generating returns. Housing is a living environment for many people, part of essential public infrastructure, and a social resource. For GLS Bank, this financing is a further example of how sustainable finance can make a concrete contribution to urban transformation.
About GLS Bank
GLS Bank has existed since 1974. It is Germany’s oldest and largest sustainable bank. Its approximately 378,000 customers form a community united by shared values. GLS Bank exclusively finances socially and ecologically oriented projects and enterprises in the sectors of renewable energy, food, sustainable business, housing, education and culture, and social and healthcare services.
GLS Bank is an online bank offering all the services customers could wish for. In addition to its headquarters in Bochum, it has offices in Berlin, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Munich, Freiburg, and Hamburg.
About Gewobag With approximately 76,000 apartments and more than 150,000 tenants, Gewobag is one of the largest real estate companies in the capital and across Germany. By 2030, the state-owned housing company aims to expand its portfolio by around 10,000 apartments through new construction. Visit the online magazine at: www.sowohntberlin.de / More information about Gewobag at: www.gewobag.de