What’s next for project finance software in 2025?

The renewable energy finance market is rapidly evolving — are project financiers and their tech stacks keeping up? According to Banyan Infrastructure’s 2025 Project Finance Software Report, borrowers and lenders across the sector recognize the value of digital tools in streamlining their operations. However many remain hesitant to invest in new technologies.

The second annual report dives into survey data collected in late 2024 and sheds light on the opportunities and challenges within renewable energy project finance. From balancing compliance burdens to scaling deal portfolios, the findings highlight how the right tech stacks can position stakeholders for long-term success in an increasingly complex market.

Here’s what you need to know.

‘Talking the Talk’ with Digital Transformation

Survey respondents made one thing clear: The market sees the transformative potential of software solutions. Nearly two-thirds agreed that strong digital strategies will be critical to achieving their company’s goals in 2025. However, less than 40% of respondents plan to up their investment in operational software this year.

Why the hesitation? Many project finance professionals rely on familiar tools like Microsoft or Google Suites to manage their portfolios; only a fraction use purpose-built project finance software like Banyan Infrastructure. Although more general tools can provide basic organization, they lack the intelligence and automation needed to streamline workflows and reduce typical project finance bottlenecks. 

According to Banyan Infrastructure’s COO Amanda Li, this reluctance to adopt new systems often stems from a “wait until it’s broken” mentality. 

“People understand the ROI of software, but change only happens when operational hurdles become impossible to ignore,” she explained. One way for project finance leaders to stand out is to adopt change before reaching inevitable hurdles.

Compliance and Reporting Are Growing Pain Points

The numbers don’t lie — time is money, and compliance and reporting are eating up both. 

One-quarter of survey respondents reported spending at least five hours each week managing compliance and reporting. For organizations managing 50 or more deals, that workload balloons exponentially  — and well exceeds a 40-hour work week.

Digital tools — including centralized data rooms, automated reporting, and templatized workflows — can significantly ease any reporting burden. 

Capital Availability, Interconnection, and Internal Bottlenecks Are Key Barriers

Certain hurdles continue to impede growth in the renewable energy project finance industry. In 2024, the availability of capital was the main source of stalled deals, with 45% of survey respondents citing it as a challenge. Catalytic funding opportunities like the GGRF are expected to ease some of this pressure in 2025.

Interconnection, however, continues to pose a major hurdle — particularly for borrowers. With projects that would provide more than double the country’s current generating capacity stuck in interconnection queues, it remains a critical blocker for 38% of survey respondents.

Internally, many organizations struggle with limited bandwidth and process inefficiencies. As the number of deals grows, so does the need for efficient operations to manage the increase in paperwork. Without digital tools to automate tasks and create transparency across teams, administrative demands can quickly become overwhelming. 

What Drives Software Adoption?

Respondents pointed to three key benefits of project finance software: 

• Improved efficiency
• Better ability to meet compliance requirements
• Increased deal velocity 

For origination and underwriting, stakeholders saw software’s value in workflow standardization and task management. Meanwhile, benefits for portfolio managers lie in transparency and accessibility of financial metrics. Compliance tools, such as automated covenant tracking and audit-ready records, also stood out as top priorities.Project finance software isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s a necessity for organizations looking to scale their operations and remain competitive in a fast-moving market.

‍Scaling Capital and Streamlining Workflows

‍Despite some economic and political uncertainty, most respondents remain optimistic about steady growth in the renewable energy project finance industry. Two-thirds of survey participants identified portfolio growth as a primary goal, while 57% reported expanding their investment appetite for diverse deal types, structures, and sizes.

Achieving these goals will require more than capital — project financiers need smarter processes. By adopting software explicitly designed for renewable energy project finance, market participants can reduce risk, improve transparency, and mobilize more capital to accelerate the energy transition.

“Digital transformation is critical,” said Li. “Software empowers organizations to do more deals, faster, and with greater reliability.” With the rising demand for renewable energy projects, the time for digital transformation is now.

By embracing purpose-built software and rethinking traditional workflows, project financiers can position themselves — and the broader industry — for sustainable growth in 2025 and beyond.Want to dive deeper into the data?

Download the full report here and discover how digital tools like Banyan Infrastructure can transform your tech stack.