Banks and nature: How strongly does the banking sector in Germany depend on ecosystem services?

Annette Becker, Marvin Dransfeld, Fabian Genswein, Emily Kormanyos, Paolo Krischak, Carina Schlam and Julia Thomas

No 03/2026, Technical Papers from Deutsche Bundesbank

Abstract: This study examines the dependency of the banking sector in Germany on ecosystem services through its corporate lending. Ecosystem services are derived from nature's capacity to provide inputs for economic activity. We analyze how banks overall and categories of banks in Germany depend on ecosystem services, both directly and indirectly. Our findings indicate that banks are particularly reliant on a number of ecosystem services that relate either to water resources, or to water-regulating aspects. Additionally, indirect dependencies from supply chain connections frequently outweigh direct ones, and regionally focused banks show higher dependencies on ecosystem services compared to other categories of banks. These results underscore the importance of a better comprehension of nature-related risks and their implications for banks.

Keywords: Banks; Biodiversity; Corporate loans; Dependency on ecosystem services; Germany; Nature-related risk; Supply chains; Water (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C67 G21 G38 Q25 Q57 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:bubtps:343576

DOI: 10.71734/TP-2026-3

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