General Electric is willing to extend more financing to customers of its industrial businesses next year to help assure key energy, transportation and water projects proceed even if credit markets remain frozen, the conglomerate’s chief executive said.

GE’s willingness to fund customers’ most promising infrastructure projects comes as the world’s lenders grapple with the most severe financial crisis in decades. GE has taken steps to shrink its own finance arm, GE Capital, which accounted for almost half of the company’s earnings as recently as last year.