A stable, well-functioning financial market for allA stable, well-functioning financial market for allResult
2025
Consumer Protection Report 2025: Digitalisation and viral trends create risks for consumers on the financial market
Unreliable investment advice from AI or “finfluencers” and the promise of fast gains from crypto trading. These are examples of consumer protection risks that have recently emerged on the financial market. At the same time, risks linked to unsound lending and financial exclusion of consumers are still prevalent. These are some of Finansinspektionen’s (FI) observations in this year’s consumer protection report.
The Bank Barometer
2025-04-24 | Reports
The Bank Barometer describes the Swedish banking system and is published twice a year. The report presents statistics on, among other things, deposits, profitability and funding broken down into different categories of banks and credit market firms.
The Bank Barometer: Net profit of Swedish banks continues to increase
Swedish banks’ net profit increased by SEK 4 billion in 2024 despite a decrease in net interest income. These are the main conclusions in Finansinspektionen’s report. The report also shows that lending to the public is increasing, as is the percentage of non-performing loans.
The Swedish Mortgage Market: Households need to have margins for an uncertain future
The conditions for household finances improved in 2024. As many as 8 out of 10 households chose a variable interest rate, which is a higher share than in previous years. But the economic development is uncertain. Households need to allow for continued high housing and living costs. These are some of the conclusions from this year’s report on the Swedish mortgage market.
Legal Position: Rule interpretation for deposits via digital platforms
An increasing number of banks and other credit institutions are offering savings via digital deposit platforms. This makes them more vulnerable since the deposits volume could decrease rapidly. FI notes in a report that some of the institutions do not sufficiently consider these risks, in part when calculating the liquidity buffer required for such deposits. A legal position specifies how we will interpret the rules.
Household savings in Sweden
Swedes hold a large amount of financial assets, but the distribution of these assets is very uneven. Most Swedes hold a small amount of financial assets, while 5 per cent of the population holds approximately half of all assets. Few have direct savings in shares or funds. Those with large loans can be vulnerable to weakened economic conditions and therefore in general have a greater need for a financial buffer. FI’s data indicates that many mortgagors hold a small amount of assets, at least with the same bank where they have their mortgage.
FI Analysis No. 48: Share of consumer credit debt registered with Swedish Enforcement Authority increases during economic downturns
In 2020, almost 130,000 individuals had a debt registered with the Swedish Enforcement Authority that was related to consumer credit. Since the end of 2020, the general price level has increased (inflation) by almost 20 per cent. The Riksbank raised the policy rate during the same period, making it significantly more expensive to borrow money. In 2023, just over 160,000 individuals with consumer credit had new debts registered with the Swedish Enforcement Authority, which represents an increase of 23 per cent since 2020. The new debts, measured in SEK, that were related to consumer credit were 51 per cent higher than they were in 2020.
2024
FI Analysis No. 47: The 2023 Banking Turmoil – Could What Happened in the US and Switzerland Also Happen in Sweden?
During the spring of 2023, one Swiss bank and several US banks failed. Multiple actors in both the US and internationally have analysed the underlying causes. We summarise the findings of these reports as follows: there was a lack of internal governance and control, there were deficiencies in the supervision, and several of the banks were not fully subject to the Basel regulations.
FI Supervision 30: The banks can strengthen their sanction screening
FI has tested the effectiveness of 19 banks' automated sanction screening systems. The result shows that the effectiveness of the systems that the banks use could be higher and that there is room for some banks to improve their work in this area.
AI increasingly common in the financial sector, but risk management is lagging behind
The new generative AI technology has spread rapidly and extensively throughout the Swedish financial sector. At the same time, the work to manage the risks accompanying the new technology is lagging behind. These are FI’s findings following a survey of firms’ use of AI.
