Cooperative banks: More loans for small and medium-sized enterprises

Cooperative banks in Germany increased their lending business with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in 2025: Corporate loans rose by four percent, reports the BVR (Federal Association of German Cooperative Banks). Residential construction loans saw particularly strong growth.

This article is part of the special topic Banks and loans: What tradespeople need to know

The 646 cooperative banks in Germany continued their growth trajectory in the lending business in 2025. The cooperative banks include the following: Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken, the Sparda banks, the PSD banks, the BBBank and the German Pharmacists' and Physicians' Bank, as well as some specialized institutions.

Marija Kolak, President of the Federal Association of German Cooperative Banks (BVR) Photo: © BVR

Wie der Federal Association of German Volksbanks and Raiffeisenbanks (BVR) They report that in 2025 they increased their loan volume by 29 billion euros or 3,6 percent to 826 billion euros.

Loans to private customers They rose by 3,2 percent to 381 billion euros. Corporate loans increased by 4,0 percent to 444 billion euros. 

They have grown considerably. Housing loans to private and corporate customers: These grew to 490 billion euros - an increase of 16 billion euros or 4,5 percent.

"The fact that the lending business of cooperative banks has grown despite the ongoing economic stagnation in Germany shows that our Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken are a reliable financing partner for small and medium-sized enterprises, even in difficult times," he emphasizes. BVR President Marija Kolak (Photo).

The residential real estate market is recovering, but faces challenges such as high construction costs and lengthy administrative procedures. "With the construction acceleration program, the federal government has already taken an important step towards faster approval processes. Now, the key points paper on building type E must also be quickly translated into law so that construction becomes affordable again by foregoing superfluous comfort standards. The ability and willingness of average-income households to save should also be strengthened, for example, by increasing the income limits and the maximum amount eligible for subsidies under the housing construction premium and the employee savings allowance," Kolak continued.

Source: BVR

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