Result

2024

FI Supervision 29: Advisors are not taking customers’ sustainability preferences into account

Six out of ten say that sustainability is important when saving money. Advisors at banks, investment firms and insurance intermediaries have an obligation to take into account consumers’ sustainability preferences. This does not always happen. Instead, many consumers currently face a risk of investing in products that do not correspond to their expectations when it comes to sustainability. This is the conclusion FI draws from its analysis, and we are now encouraging firms to devote a special focus to this topic.

FI Analysis No. 42: Gender differences in investment behaviour

2024-03-18 | Reports News Consumer

The study confirms previous results showing that women are underrepresented in the stock market. The differences arise as early as three years of age, which shows that adults more often buy stocks for boys than for girls. We also see that men generally have larger stock portfolios than women throughout life, although women increase their stock wealth later in life.

2023

FI Analysis No. 41: Commercial real estate firms may need to reduce their debt

In this analysis, we estimate how much Swedish listed and larger privately owned commercial real estate firms need to reduce their debt in a climate of rising financing costs and falling property values. We calculate the firms need to reduce their debt to maintain certain levels of interest coverage ratio and loan-to-value.

Stability in the Financial System (2023:2): Adjustments to higher interest rates remain to be made

The higher interest rate means that households and companies need to make adjustments to their finances. Finansinspektionen (FI) is now seeing a decline in risk-taking. However, the change in the state of the economy and uncertainty regarding how long the higher interest rates will remain pose a risk to financial stability. Commercial real estate undertakings with high debt are particularly at risk should the interest rates remain high. These are the conclusions of the second Stability Report of the year.

Consumer Protection Report 2023

The risks given the highest priority in FI’s consumer protection work for 2023 are unaffordable lending, unsuitable investment products and investment fraud.

Open finance in Sweden

2023-06-28 | Fintech Reports News

Digitalisation introduces both opportunities and risks to the financial market. After conducting a new survey, FI has noted that broader regulation on how customer data can be shared with third-party providers could make it easier for consumers to compare financial products such as occupational pensions and mortgages.

FI Analysis No. 40: Winners and losers in the trading of meme stocks

2023-05-26 | Reports Markets

In 2021, Gamestop, a relatively unknown American company, experienced a sudden increase in its stock price. The price increase had been orchestrated by a group of investors who had collaborated via a social media platform and successfully drove up the price of the stock by 1,500 per cent within days. Other stocks, including AMC, had exhibited similar patterns, giving rise to the term "meme stocks" due to the humorous elements found in the online forums where these stocks were discussed.

2022

Finansinspektionen’s strategy to prevent greenwashing

FI’s strategy for preventing greenwashing in the financial sector aims to safeguard the trust in sustainable investments and a sustainable finance market.

Roadmap for sustainable finance

In 2019, FI’s overarching mandate was expanded to include a responsibility to ensure that the financial system contributes to sustainable development. FI is also the responsible supervisory authority for a number of new regulations related to sustainable finance that are the result of the EU’s ambitious sustainability agenda.

Stability in the Financial System (2022:2)

High inflation has led to rapidly rising interest rates. Given the current rapid change in conditions, both participants on the financial markets and borrowers need to transition quickly. In the short term, this means elevated risks and greater uncertainty.  The already high risks in the commercial real estate sector have continued to increase.

FI Analysis No. 37: Stress tests of funds’ liquidity risks

2022-11-29 | Funds Reports Stability

FI’s stress tests show that the majority of Swedish funds appear to be able to handle relatively large outflows in an effective manner. However, some corporate bond funds and a relatively large share of high-yield bond funds may experience liquidity problems under stressed market conditions.

Funds with sustainable investment as its objective

The Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority, Finansinspektionen (FI) has conducted an in-depth analysis of how managers of funds registered in Sweden that have sustainable investment as its objective (so-called Article 9 funds) meet the requirements on sustainability-related disclosures in the pre-contractual information they must provide to investors.

Stability in the Financial System (2022:1)

Interest rates and interest rate expectations have increased in 2022 due to high and rising inflation. One sector that is vulnerable to rising interest rates is the commercial real estate sector. FI has also noted that liquidity on the bond markets has decreased, and the functionality of the corporate bond market is once again impaired.

Consumer Protection Report 2022

2022-04-28 | Reports Consumer Markets

Unsound lending practices and commission from the sale of financial instruments are the highest prioritised risks in Finansinspektionen’s (FI) consumer protection assignment for 2022.

2021

FI Supervision 19: Credit institutions’ management of counterparty risk and CVA risks

2021-12-09 | Reports Markets Bank

FI has conducted an investigation into a number of credit institutions’ exposures, risk measurement and management of counterparty risk and credit valuation adjustment (CVA) risk related to positions in financial derivatives.

Stability in the Financial System (2021:2)

Sweden’s economy has largely recovered and there is good access to financing in the financial system. The Riksbank should therefore begin the phase-out of asset purchasing to avoid further increase of risk-taking. Amongst others, FI sees growing risks within the commercial real estate companies.

FI Supervision Report 23: Observations from anti-money laundering reporting

FI has analysed and compared information that firms under FI’s money laundering supervision reported to the authority during the years 2018-2021. The analysis indicates areas where the companies need to develop their processes to better handle the risk of being misused for money laundering or terrorist financing.

Stability in the Financial System (2021:1)

The economy is continuing to recover. Support measures have been necessary to speed up the recovery, but they need to be gradually phased out as the economy strengthens. This applies primarily to measures that are associated with the build-up of stability risks.

Liquidity tools in UCITS and special funds

2021-06-01 | Funds Reports Markets

Finansinspektionen concludes in a new report that fund managers need access to additional tools to manage liquidity risks in Swedish UCITS and special funds. We consider there to be a certain type of swing pricing that could be used already today. The report outlines a suggestion for how to regulate this and other liquidity management tools in legislation and regulations. FI takes the position that Swedish UCITS only need to be open for redemptions once a week. We suggest that the funds instead only need to be open for redemptions twice a month.

FI Analysis 30: Internal price on carbon – what and why?

To reach the climate goals in the Paris Agreement, carbon emissions must go down. The most efficient way to achieve this is by raising the cost of emissions compared to today.