About us
For 60 years DEG has been a reliable partner to private-sector companies and financial service providers operating in developing markets. After all, the private sector is an important driver of development. Our customers are mainly based in developing and emerging-market countries as well as in Germany and other industrialised nations.
DEG has around 680 employees, who are investing a great deal of commitment and expertise. They work in Cologne and in one of DEG's other 18 locations around the globe. Since 2001 we have been a subsidiary of KfW. We reach private enterprises in developing countries in two ways: One way is to finance them directly with loans and equity investments. The other is to invest in local banks and financiers, which in turn supply mainly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on the ground with financing. We provide them with financing on market terms from our own funds.
We provide our customers with capital to enable them to grow and progress sustainably - capital that is often difficult to obtain, particularly in developing countries. And we offer much more than financing: We give targeted advice to the companies we co-finance as they plan and implement their investments. After all, expertise and experienced partners are key to successful investments in challenging markets. We provide finance and advice to:
• private-sector companies that invest in sustainable infrastructure projects in developing and emerging-market countries, particularly renewable energy, telecommunications, transport infrastructure, and utilities and waste disposal,
• companies from the industrial, commercial and services sector in developing and emerging-market countries, as well as investment vehicles that provide equity finance to private companies in these countries,
• banks, financial institutions and specialist funders that provide reliable access to financing, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises in developing countries.