SBM-2 – Interests and views of stakeholders
Rentenbank maintains regular dialogue with a large number of stakeholders who are affected by its business activities in different ways or who influence the achievement of its strategic objectives. Stakeholder engagement is an integral part of its strategic orientation and serves in particular to identify material sustainability matters at an early stage, make trade-offs transparent and enhance the effectiveness of the funding instruments.
The selection of relevant stakeholder groups is based on Rentenbank’s business model and on the impact logic resulting from the on-lending principle. Key stakeholder groups include, in particular, the local banks and regional public-sector banks (Landesbanken), as well as other intermediary institutions as direct business partners; ultimate borrowers and the industry associations representing them; policymakers; and the authorities responsible for sectoral and financial supervision. These stakeholder groups, or their representatives, are represented on the Supervisory Board. Our employees are also highly relevant as key internal stakeholders. Their involvement is described in more detail under S1-SBM-2. Applicants as potential future employees are likewise relevant to us.
A number of stakeholders are of particular relevance to Rentenbank in its role as an active participant in the capital market. These include investors, financial analysts, issuers and agencies that provide credit or sustainability ratings.
As part of good corporate governance, our stakeholders also include suppliers, universities, chambers and associations.
Key stakeholders are engaged through various formats tailored to the respective group. These include annual bilateral discussions with local banks, dialogue with associations and industry representatives, participation in national and international initiatives, exchanges with political stakeholders and internal formats for involving employees. The aim of these formats is to systematically take account of different perspectives, expectations, and assessments relating to sustainability matters.
The thematic focus of the feedback obtained is often determined by the format and the dialogue partner. In line with our promotional mandate, when engaging with ultimate borrowers and local banks we place particular emphasis on environmental matters such as climate risks and the financing of renewable energy, for example at the annual agricultural finance conference. However, promotional loans with a social dimension are also addressed on an ad hoc basis. In 2026, for example, this is planned to take place as part of the “Year of Women in Agriculture” proclaimed by the United Nations. Dialogue with industry associations likewise focuses on Rentenbank’s financing activities and their respective impacts.
Governance matters are a particular focus at meetings of the Supervisory Board and in the regular dialogue with the authorities responsible for sectoral and financial supervision. The annual meetings with the rating agencies that assess us also place a strong emphasis on good corporate governance.
The results of stakeholder engagement are taken into account as part of strategic management and the further development of the business model. They form an important basis for identifying material impacts, risks and opportunities and are reflected in the following ESRS disclosures. A systematic recording of individual stakeholder positions or a formalised prioritisation of individual interest groups does not take place in isolation, but in the context of the respective decision-making and analysis processes. The broad involvement of specialist units in the double materiality assessment ensured that internal participants in, or organisers of, most of these dialogue sessions were consulted on the main impacts, risks and opportunities.