1. Founded in Sweden in 1871, Handelsbanken has become one of the world’s strongest banks with
over 820 branches in 24 countries worldwide. We offer local relationship banking with products and
services tailored to the needs of our personal and business banking customers.
A local relationship with one
of the world’s strongest banks
HANDELSBANKEN
A local focus from day one
Handelsbanken was established in 1871 when a number
of prominent companies and individuals in Stockholm’s
business world founded “Stockholms Handelsbank”. From
the outset, the bank proclaimed that it would pursue “true
banking activities” with deposits and loans, focusing on the
local market.
In 1970, Jan Wallander joined the bank as CEO, bringing
with him a blueprint for a strongly decentralised organisation.
Branches were given power to make business decisions
locally, since Wallander believed that those closest to
the customer would understand their requirements and
circumstances best.
Operating within this new framework, Handelsbanken
continued to grow, building branch networks in Finland,
Norway and Denmark during the 1990s. Since 2000 the
bank has been steadily building up a UK branch network,
supporting more and more local communities with their
personal and business banking needs.
“The branch is the bank”
Handelsbanken’s decentralised model is central to its
success. Each branch operates as a small business, enabling
it to make decisions locally and to provide a service that
is truly bespoke. The branch has full power to decide the
structure and pricing of products, which directly benefits the
customer through swift decision-making.
Relationships count
Handelsbanken has a different perspective from most other
banks. As a relationship bank, we are driven only by what
our customers want, designing tailored solutions to suit their
demands. And because we are not target driven, we take a
long-term view, investing time to get to know our customers,
their needs and ambitions. This approach is summed up in a
quote from our book of corporate values:
‘Our advice must always be what is best for the customer, not
what is most profitable for the Bank at that time.’
Pär Boman CEO

2. HANDELSBANKEN
The most satisfied customers
Handelsbanken was recently rated top for customer
satisfaction for the sixth year running, in an independent
survey* of British banks’ personal and business customers.
Loyalty levels emerged still higher, which reflects the bank’s
focus on building long-term customer relationships for mutual
benefit, free from product campaigns, sales targets or short-
term bonus incentives.
* Customer satisfaction survey conducted independently by
EPSI, October 2014.
One of the world’s strongest banks
Handelsbanken takes a prudent approach to risk, only
dealing with customers we can meet and with whom we can
develop a business relationship. The same prudent approach
explains why Handelsbanken has no exposure to any of the
so-called “PIIGS” countries. And it is also the reason why, in
these uncertain times, Handelsbanken has chosen to build up
a very strong capital base, enough to meet the bank’s lending
commitments for as much as two years if international capital
markets were to freeze up entirely.
Handelsbanken has not applied for any government support
in either the current economic downturn or during the 1990s.
The bank’s high credit ratings reflect this achievement
and can be seen in the table below; one more reason why
Handelsbanken was recently rated one of the strongest banks
in the world by financial information provider Bloomberg.
A safe haven for your savings
Beyond Handelsbanken’s own financial strength and stability,
depositors with the bank are covered by the Swedish Deposit
Guarantee Scheme. This provides compensation of up to
EUR 100,000 for each eligible depositor, the same EU-wide
level upon which the UK compensation scheme is now
based. However, it is worth noting that the protection afforded
by the Swedish scheme also includes larger customers.
The Deposit Guarantee Scheme is backed by the Swedish
state, which itself holds the highest possible AAA rating
and a stable outlook from all three leading ratings agencies.
Further details of the Swedish Deposit Guarantee Scheme are
available on request and through our website.
Experience the difference
Your experienced local branch team will make sure everything
runs smoothly for you as a Handelsbanken customer. You will
have direct line access to your designated Account Manager
who is available to address any query or requirement in a
helpful and timely manner.
UK bank credit ratings
Long Term Short
Term
Outlook
www.handelsbanken.co.uk
Registered Office: Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ), 3 Thomas More Square, London, E1W 1WY. VAT Registration No. GB524 9824 25. Registered in England and Wales No. BR 000589. Incorporated in
Sweden with limited liability. Registered in Sweden No. 502 007-7862. Head Office in Stockholm. Authorised by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (Finansinspektionen) and the Prudential Regulation
Authority and subject to limited regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority. Details about the extent of our authorisation and regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority,
and regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority are available from us on request
Handelsbanken Aa3 Prime-1 Negative*
HSBC Bank plc Aa3 Prime-1 Negative*
Barclays Bank plc A2 Prime-1 Stable
Lloyds Bank plc A1 Prime-1 Negative*
Santander UK plc A2 Prime-1 Negative*
RBS plc Baa1 Prime-2 Negative
Clydesdale Bank plc Baa2 Prime-2 Stable*
*Rating currently under review. Date of outlook: 17th March 2015 Source: Moody's as at 8th
April 2015. Please visit www.moodys.com for a breakdown of the credit definitions used.
Handelsbanken Barclays Lloyds TSB HSBC RBS
Cost / Income Ratio 46.9% 69.5% 81.3% 58.2% 68.5%
Return on Equity 13.0% 1.00% -2.00% 9.2% -15.4%
Gross NPLs / Total Loans 0.44% 2.84% 7.14% 3.61% 9.58%
Risk Provision / NPLs 58% 55% 49% 39% 64%
Bad Debt Charge / Average Loans 0.07% 0.66% 0.67% 0.53% 2.05%
Tier 1 Capital Ratio (according to Basel 2) 21.5% 15.7% 14.5% 14.5% 13.1%
All figures as end of 2013. Source: Deutsche Bank AG "Running the Numbers:The question Bank"