Handelsbanken named Sweden’s “Bank of the Year 2023”

Financial affairs publication The Banker has named Handelsbanken Sweden’s “Bank of the Year 2023”. The journal, which is owned by the Financial Times and which covers the global banking sector, said Handelsbanken won the award due to its ambitious sustainability work and stable profitability.

“We build long-term relationships and grow alongside our customers. This has been a successful business model for over 150 years,” says Carina Åkerström, President and CEO of Handelsbanken.

The Banker, an international financial affairs publication that is part of the Financial Times Group, has named Handelsbanken Sweden’s Bank of the Year 2023. Its annual awards are decided by an independent jury which evaluates the performance and strategic initiatives of a number of banks.

“Handelsbanken was chosen due to its robust profitability and ambitious sustainability goals. While most banks have committed to be net zero by 2050, Handelsbanken has set an earlier target of 2040 and announced its first targets for reducing GHG emissions in its real estate financing portfolio,” reads the jury’s citation.

The award serves as further acknowledgement of Handelsbanken’s long-term competitiveness and robust business model.

“The starting point for Handelsbanken’s development and innovation is always our customers’ needs, and this is especially true of our sustainability work. It is hugely gratifying to see that The Banker has highlighted ‘Energikollen’, which is available in our digital meeting places. The service helps our mortgage customers with advice on energy-saving measures, which it is possible to finance via a green loan,” says Catharina Belfrage Sahlstrand, Chief Sustainability and Climate Officer.

Handelsbanken’s customers have access to almost 170 sustainability specialists via the Bank’s network of over 200 local branches in Sweden.

“As a bank we view ourselves as an integrated part of the local markets and we take sustainability into account in all aspects of running the Bank. We build long-term relationships and grow alongside our customers. This has been a successful business model for over 150 years and enables us to create value and stand by our customers regardless of the economic climate,” says Carina Åkerström.

The Banker’s “Bank of the Year 2023” in Sweden award is the latest accolade Handelsbanken has won during the year. In October, Handelsbanken was also ranked as the safest commercial bank in Europe by Global Finance.

Handelsbanken has the highest credit rating among all privately-owned peer banks, as well as having the highest rating globally in respect according to the combined assessments of leading credit rating agencies, Fitch, Moody’s, and S&P.

In September, SKI/EPSI confirmed Handelsbanken’s first-place result among both private and corporate customers in all the Bank’s home markets – Sweden, Norway, the UK and the Netherlands.

For further information, please contact:
Handelsbanken Press Office, [email protected], +46 8 701 80 18

For more information about Handelsbanken, visit: www.handelsbanken.com/en/about-the-group