Latest news with #Handelsbanken
Yahoo
12-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Southampton event warns charities to evolve or face tough times ahead
Charities could face an uncertain future if they don't adapt quickly to changing demands. The annual Charity Roundtable seminar in Southampton warned charities in the south of England that they need to be agile to survive. The event, hosted by HWB Chartered Accountants and Handelsbanken, highlighted the challenges faced by the sector. With continued economic instability, individual donations are on the decline, forcing charities to adopt new methods to sustain their essential services. James Sproule, UK chief economist at Handelsbanken, delivered a keynote speech on the UK economic outlook, forecasting a subdued recovery. He said UK economic growth was supported by an overly optimistic annual house-building target of 300,000, and predicted that inflation would stay above the 2 per cent target until 2027. James said the Government would likely raise taxes to a record high in autumn, but that the budget would remain in deficit. READ MORE: Business awards night in Southampton raises nearly £6k for Heartbeat Kim Christopher, corporate account manager at Handelsbanken, co-chaired the event, and said: "A forum such as this is an excellent way for charities to take a step back from their daily work and meet others in a similar position to collaborate, share ideas and best practice and simply find out what others are doing and how they are coping with today's pressures. "Much of the discussion centred on the importance of charities remaining agile to adapt to the ever changing financial, social and economic environment." Michaela Johns, director at HWB Chartered Accountants, said: "We talked about IHT planning and the opportunity that exists for charities to appeal to those who may have spare savings to make one-off gifts. "There were also good discussions about mergers and shared resources, and it was felt that collaborations are more prevalent than ever in the sector." The Charities Aid Foundation's UK Giving 2025 Report reveals that charities are now relying on donations from only 50 percent of people, down from 58 percent in 2019. However, the UK public still donated an estimated £15.4b to charity in 2024. Despite these donations, challenges such as resourcing issues, staff retention, and increasing service demand continue to affect the sector. Delegates at the event also spoke about the difficulty finding funding for longer-term projects.
Local Sweden
11-08-2025
- Business
- Local Sweden
IN FIGURES: How a stronger Swedish krona is making trips abroad cheaper
After several sluggish years, the Swedish krona finally strengthened in 2025, improving the purchasing power of travellers from Sweden in countries all over the world. Advertisement For any foreigners paid in Swedish krona, travelling back home to see family and friends or taking a holiday outside Sweden has cost a pretty penny in recent years. But this year has finally seen a resurgence of Sweden's currency, making foreign travel less of a drain on personal spending. Frida Bratt, a savings expert from Nordnet bank, has crunched the numbers to show how the krona has performed this year compared to many other currencies worldwide. With the exception of a few currencies, like the Hungarian forint and Russian ruble, the krona has strengthened against the vast majority of other currencies, she said. Nordnet's economist noted that it wasn't quite as simple as saying that the prices of goods and services in a given country were now cheaper at a rate equivalent to their drop in relation to the Swedish currency since inflationary effects also needed to be taken in account. In Turkey, for example, high inflation has led to rising prices for locals and tourists alike. Turkey is an extreme case however, she added, and inflation is not nearly as high in many other places. Advertisement In the vast majority of countries, the increased purchasing power of travellers paid in Swedish kronor was roughly equivalent to the relative percentage disparity, give or take a few percentage points to adjust for inflation, according to Frida Bratt. While it's difficult to pinpoint exact reasons for the krona's rise, Handelsbanken's chief economist Christina Nyman said in March this year that 'it might be the fact that the Swedish economy is in a better position than many other countries' economies.' "Sweden has been able to cut the interest rate to what we consider a neutral level before most other countries because inflation has dropped." Sweden's strong public finances were also a likely contributing factor, she noted. SEE ALSO: What a strong Swedish krona could mean for foreigners in Sweden
Finextra
17-07-2025
- Business
- Finextra
Swedbank appoints chief risk officer
Swedbank has appointed Martin Noréus as the Group's new Chief Risk Officer. He will take on his role on 1 May 2026, and will join Swedbank's Group Executive Committee on that date. 0 This content is provided by an external author without editing by Finextra. It expresses the views and opinions of the author. Martin Noréus has extensive experience from both banking and finance as well as from the public sector. Since 2020, he has held senior positions at Handelsbanken. 'I am pleased to welcome Martin to Swedbank. His broad knowledge and experience will be important as Group Risk continues to develop the bank's risk management,' says Jens Henriksson, President and CEO of Swedbank. Martin Noréus holds a Master of Science in Macroeconomics & Finance from HEC Lausanne and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Uppsala University. 'I am very much looking forward to joining Swedbank and continuing to develop the Group's work in the risk area,' says Martin Noréus. Swedbank's current Chief Risk Officer, Rolf Marquardt, will remain in his role until Martin Noréus takes over, after which he will become a senior advisor. 'In May 2026, Rolf will pass on the torch as Group Risk enters its next phase. His insights and expertise make him exceptionally well-suited as a senior advisor and for board work within our companies. I look forward to continued good cooperation with Rolf,' says Jens Henriksson.
Time of India
04-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Swedbank to Lift Hiring Freeze While Focusing on Efficiency and Market Share, ETHRWorld
Advt Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals Subscribe to our newsletter to get latest insights & analysis. Download ETHRWorld App Get Realtime updates Save your favourite articles Scan to download App STOCKHOLM: Swedish banking group Swedbank on Wednesday set a target of at least 15% return on equity in the coming years, in line with a previous goal despite recent headwinds on interest income , and said it expected to abandon a freeze on biggest mortgage lender said in a statement it aimed to increase or maintain market shares for its main products while boosting efficiency across the group by harnessing new technologies, including bank last set financial targets in December 2022, aiming to achieve a return on equity of 15% in 2025, a goal it met in both 2023 and 2024, but over the past year central bank rates have tumbled, putting a damper on bank interest addition, the war in Ukraine and simmering trade conflicts have clouded the outlook also for lenders."Geopolitical tensions are contributing to a level of global uncertainty we have not experienced in decades," Swedbank CEO Jens Henriksson said during a presentation to investors that he expected an external hiring freeze , put in place to keep a lid on costs more than a year ago, to be lifted. "But we will remain restrictive in new hiring," he rival of Nordic banks such as Handelsbanken, SEB and Nordea has built capital on the back of growing income in recent years and reverted to a higher payout policy earlier this year."We have no intention to hold more capital than necessary," Henriksson said. (Reporting by Niklas Pollard, editing by Stine Jacobsen and Terje Solsvik)
Local Norway
13-05-2025
- Business
- Local Norway
How the latest trade war developments have affected the Norwegian krone
The news of a 90-day tariff break between the world's two largest economies - the United States and China - briefly boosted the dollar, pushing it up about 10 øre against the krone by mid-morning on Monday. However, the euro's decline and the krone's simultaneous strengthening suggest that Norway's currency may be better positioned than headlines indicate, especially in the broader, long-term view. READ MORE: Analysts predict Norway's krone could make up lost ground on the euro and US dollar Short-term dollar strength, long-term doubts The dollar's initial bounce was largely psychological, according to currency strategist Nils Kristian Knudsen of Handelsbanken. "The dollar has been hit hard by trade tensions, so any form of clarification gives it some relief," Knudsen told the newspaper e24. "But this is not a done deal. The damage to the dollar's credibility is already done." Knudsen argued that the Trump administration has weakened foreign confidence in the dollar by using it as a policy lever in trade disputes , making long-term dollar strength unlikely. "The market has realized that the dollar can be used as a bargaining chip," he added. Advertisement Senior strategist Dane Cekov at Sparebank 1 Markets echoed the sentiment, noting that while some recovery in the dollar is expected, much of the upside has already been priced in. Although we may see short-term gains, I still expect a weaker dollar over the long term, Cekov said. "Uncertainty is lower than before, but it's far from gone." READ ALSO: What are the US tariffs on Norway, and how could they affect you? Euro weakens, but not for long? The euro dipped against the dollar following the trade news, but analysts say the euro still holds ground. "I think the euro will continue to play a stronger role," Knudsen noted, citing consistent structural support from the eurozone and limited future upside for the dollar. This dynamic has worked in favour of the Norwegian krone, which strengthened against the euro during Monday trading. By late afternoon, one euro traded for 11.58 kroner – slightly lower than recent levels. Advertisement Good news for the krone Despite its dip against the dollar, the krone gained strength against a broader basket of currencies, especially in import-weighted indexes like I-44, which measure the krone's performance against Norway's key trading partners. Since the euro holds more weight than the dollar in this context, the krone's gain is seen as positive. It's more important for Norway that the krone strengthens against the euro than the dollar, Cekov said. "The trade truce reduces recession risks, oil prices are rising, and risk sentiment has improved - all favorable for the krone," he explained.
