BayWa AG signs ESG-linked syndicated financing agreement for €1.7 billion
BayWa's syndicated master financing facility focuses on sustainability

Munich, September 2021 - BayWa AG has signed an agreement for a syndicated credit facility of €1.7 billion. The credit line is the first in the company's history to be aligned with the ESG rating issued by the rating agency MSCI ESG Research, extending the reach of BayWa's sustainability strategy to include its financing activities. MSCI ESG Research has awarded the BayWa Group an "AA" rating. The syndicated financing agreement is linked to environmental, social and corporate governance criteria (ESG) and comes with a three-year term offering two extension options of one year each. The syndicated financing agreement was coordinated by DZ BANK AG, Landesbank Baden-Württemberg and UniCredit Bank AG as bookrunners. The syndicate includes a total of ten international banks. Rothschild & Co. served as financial advisor to BayWa.

"The syndicated financing agreement rounds out our long-term financing activities over the past few years and marks a departure from the short-term strategy that tends to prevail at trading companies," says Andreas Helber, CFO of BayWa AG. "Linking the credit line to sustainability factors is another systematic step in keeping with our focus on sustainability." The sustainability rating will have a direct effect on the terms and conditions of the syndicated financing agreement. "The more successful we are in terms of sustainability, the more the company benefits from better conditions as a reward for its commitment. As a result, the significance of sustainability as our strategic guiding principle is reflected in our financing," Helber adds.

BayWa's new financing strategy has been met with widespread approval among banks. "We have seen tremendous interest here, as with previous financing projects," says Uwe Falk, Head of Treasury at BayWa AG. That interest is a further reflection of the company's solid reputation in the financial sector and of the faith lenders have in BayWa's sustainability expertise, Helber adds. The successful performance of the Renewable Energies business unit at BayWa r.e. AG is one of the developments that helps to foster trust, as are the consistent and systematic efforts to anchor sustainability targets within the corporate strategy. In addition, BayWa rolled out a Group-wide climate strategy in 2018 and has published a sustainability report every year since 2014.

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Editor:
Carina Thomann, BayWa AG
PR/Corporate Communications/Public Affairs
Phone: +49 89/9222-3659, Fax: +49 89/9212-3659
E-mail: carinaanna.thomann@baywa.de