Landesbank Baden-Württemberg recently opened a representative office in Toronto, Canada, to boost its North American platform, the Germany-based bank said May 18.

LBBW said the office will expand its existing cross-border commercial real estate financing services in Canada and support its German corporate and project finance customers with their business activities in the country, in addition to connecting Canadian banks and institutional investors to the bank's global service network offered outside Canada.

The office will specialize in supporting LBBW's real estate customers and projects in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, and will also provide services to small- to medium-sized enterprises and large corporate firms looking to acquire and develop new business, LBBW said May 18.

Real estate financing specialist Steve Gagro, whose most recent role was with a major international bank, will head the representative office.