Result

2023

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Sustainability Report 2021 – the climate in focus

Finansinspektionen has an assignment to promote the financial system’s contribution to sustainable development. The sustainability report outlines the current sustainability issues that are related to the financial sector and lists examples of what FI is working on in this area.

Cyber threats and financial stability – FI’s roll and assignments

In recent years, a number of legislative proposals and other initiatives have been presented to strengthen the financial sector’s resilience to cyberattacks. Given this background, Finansinspektionen has prepared a memorandum to describe FI’s role in terms of contributing to strong cyber security and its work to prevent cyber threats to the Swedish financial sector.

Consumer Protection Report 2021

2021-02-24 | Reports Consumer Markets

Paying by invoice or with other credit-based offers is becoming an integral part of shopping online. Young adults are unique with their small margins and large number of payment reminders and collection notices. Unaffordable loans are a prioritised consumer risk in this year’s report.

2020

Stability in the Financial System (2020:2)

The pandemic has triggered a deep economic recession in many countries, even if a slight recovery has begun. Extensive support measures have mitigated the economic impact and reduced the uncertainty on the financial markets. During the autumn, infection rates have once again begun to increase and several countries have introduced new restrictions, which will dampen the economic recovery, even though it is uncertain to which extent.

Stability in the Financial System (2020:1)

The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in an exceptional stress for the real economy. Governments, central banks and supervisory authorities have implemented significant measures to dampen the crisis. This has helped to reduce the uncertainty on the financial markets. But we are in still in the middle of the crisis, and there is considerable uncertainty going forward.

Consumer Protection Report 2020

2020-02-14 | Reports Consumer Markets

Finansinspektionen (FI) will prioritise two consumer protection risks for further work in 2020: unaffordable lending and unsuitable advice and distribution of financial products to consumers who were not part of the product’s original intended target market. FI will also assess the adequacy of claims handling for home insurance.

2019

Stability in the Financial System (2019:2)

The low interest rates are expected to remain low for a longer period of time. It could lead to greater risk-taking among various actors, and increased challenges for insurance undertakings.