Occasionally, an anomaly becomes the new normal, and this seems to be true of negative interest rates in many regions of the world. Used as a tool of expansionary monetary policy in the aftermath of the global recession, negative rates may be wearing out their welcome, especially in some countries in Europe. But can they be scrapped entirely, or are they a natural part of the global economy’s cyclical trends?
Mr. Simon Hughes, International Banker, and Mr. Anders Bouvin, President and Group CEO of Handelsbanken, discuss the bank’s recent positive financial results, its strategy and growth.
Sweden’s Handelsbanken is renowned as one of Europe’s leading and most cost-effective banks. The secret to this well-established bank’s prominence lies in its commitment to maximize customer satisfaction. Through its expanding branch network across Northern Europe, Handelsbanken continues to display the wisdom of its decentralized, local-relationship business model. Our interview with Anders Bouvin, president and group CEO, presents an opportunity to learn more about what’s behind the success of this top Nordic bank.
Sweden’s Handelsbanken continues to buck the trend toward pooling bank operations into one centralized command post by living by its “church spire” vision—that is, that a bank’s reach should be limited to what can be seen from atop a church spire. Mats Ernborg, branch manager of Handelsbanken Strandvägen in Stockholm, discusses why this tried-and-true decentralization model works so effectively for his local customers.
For nearly a century and a half, Sweden’s banking stalwart Handelsbanken has stubbornly weathered economic and political turbulence, consistently delivering excellent value to its stakeholders through its unmatched growth in profitability. Much of its success is driven by its commitment to offering unrivalled service to its mushrooming customer base.
Earlier this year, the European Central Bank (ECB) decided to cut its deposit rate to -0.4 percent and its benchmark refinancing rate to zero.
If cash is to continue to thrive then it must modernize. Cash must be more accessible to businesses and consumers, and it must move more quickly between the two.
During the second quarter of 2015, in the midst of a Greek debt crisis reaching the tipping point and the spectre of negative interest rates in its domestic market of Sweden, banking leader Handelsbanken reported the best quarterly
Simon Hughes interviews Michael Green, CEO of Svenska Handelsbanken Sweden. *** Well, today I’m with Michael Green, head of Handelsbanken…
Simon Hughes interviews Michael Green, CEO of Svenska Handelsbanken Sweden.