The bank that aligns with your values
UmweltBank is a German bank that operates responsibly. We only finance renewable energy projects and social housing that meet our published positive and exclusion criteria. For more than 29 years, we have applied a modern understanding of economic efficiency where impact and profitability go hand in hand.
Make a difference
Invest in a better world today!
- Would you like to invest your money wisely?
- Are you convinced that money can improve the world?
- Would you like to be part of a community that makes a difference?
Then come to UmweltBank! With UmweltBank, you are choosing a bank that takes responsibility for people and the environment. Become part of our community and help shape the future!
Our investment criteria
We apply strict positive and exclusion criteria that determine which projects we finance.
Coal-fired power stations or wind farms? Fossil fuels or renewable energy? Every bank decides how customer deposits are used - and therefore what industries are financed. By choosing UmweltBank, customers decide which industries they finance and help shape the world they want to live in.
We do not finance
- Nuclear energy
- Fossil fuels
- Factory farming
- Military goods
- Animal testing
Instead, we finance
- Photovoltaic systems
- Kindergartens
- Community wind farms
- Affordable housing
- Student dormitories
Join a bank that shows you where your money goes
Checking account
Girokonto
- Contactless payments with your smartphone & easy banking online or via app
- Free account switching service
- Fair terms and conditions from € 4.90 per month
Instant access savings account
Tagesgeld
- Free account
- Attractive interest rates
- Enables financing for wind, solar, and affordable housing projects
Project example: Bürgerwind Fuchstal Gemeindewald wind farm
This renewable energy project in Germany supplies more than 6,700 households with electricity and avoids 17,700 tonnes of CO₂e annually. This corresponds to approximately the weight of 1.5 Eiffel Towers.
In addition, the wind farm is linked to a research project on camera-based bird monitoring. It is being carried out in collaboration with Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences and funded by the Free State of Bavaria.
This project was made possible through citizen participation and financing by UmweltBank.
Questions and Answers
The key difference lies in how we use our customers’ deposits. For 29 years, we have aligned our loans and investments exclusively with specific environmental and social criteria - every project we finance must meet these criteria.
We finance projects in specific sectors, including:
- Renewable energy: for example, solar farms, wind turbines, and battery storage systems
- Real estate: for example, social housing and kindergartens
It is equally clear what we do not finance: Our investment criteria exclude, among other things, fossil fuels, nuclear power, weapons and military equipment. We regularly refine these criteria based on scientific findings, regulatory requirements, and societal developments. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) serve as our guide in this process.
As a direct bank, we combine this clear financing profile with a comprehensive range of financial products, as well as the advantages of a modern online bank and personalized service.
Unfortunately, only adults residing in Germany can open an account with UmweltBank.
Yes, UmweltBank is a fully licensed German bank and operates under national and European banking regulations.
Transparency is important to us. That's why we report regularly on our actions, our goals and our progress. You can find all the information in our latest report.
Yes, UmweltBank has a climate strategy and is 1.5-degree compliant.
UmweltBank AG’s business activities are already in line with the Paris Agreement. This has been confirmed by an external validation conducted by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). UmweltBank is playing a pioneering role in this regard: Its loan portfolio does not need to be aligned with the Paris Agreement targets - it is already 1.5-degree compliant.
UmweltBank is the first - and so far the only - financial institution worldwide to have had its so-called “maintenance targets” validated by the SBTi. These targets are particularly ambitious, as they can only be defined by companies whose business models are already aligned with the 1.5-degree target (as of February 2026).
UmweltBank’s environmental management system is EMAS-certified. EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) is a voluntary EU environmental management system governed by the EMAS Regulation (EC) No. 1221/2009. We use this system to track and assess our environmental impacts - such as energy use, emissions, resource consumption, mobility, and waste - and to derive specific goals and measures from these findings. With the help of EMAS, our progress is regularly reviewed and made transparent in order to systematically improve and communicate our environmental management.
We are guided by the United Nations’ sustainability goals, known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is a universal agenda aimed at ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. The SDGs are enshrined in the preamble to the Bank’s Articles of Agreement.