On 7 July 2026, at the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum in Ankara, NATO Allies launched a new Call to Action urging financial institutions to increase their lending and equity investment in defence, security, and resilience. The NATO Innovation Fund (NIF) was proud to stand among the institutions welcomed as part of this effort.

Secretary General Mark Rutte explained that sustaining and scaling Allied industry, and fueling the innovation behind it, requires capital – capital that, in his words, is still “not nearly enough” despite recent progress.

Building on the 5% Target

The Call to Action builds directly on the commitment of Allied nations to invest 5% of their annual GDP toward defence, security and resilience. To build the industrial base the Alliance needs, we now need patient, strategic capital flowing without friction to the innovators developing the technologies our militaries will depend on.

As part of its ongoing work to help close that gap, the NATO Innovation Fund joined a broad group of financial institutions yesterday to welcome that Call to Action. Joining the Fund in this commitment are Banco Santander, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Citi, Deutsche Bank, NatWest, PKO Bank Polski, Danske Bank, and the Business Development Bank of Canada. Together, this group has already mobilized $217 billion in capital for defence and security.