Sweden: Bank of the Year Recognition and Performance

Abstract

Swedish banking has been recognized for financial prudence, innovations, and service provision. Bank of the Year winners are characterized in terms of their prize-winning performance. This article details and then generalizes items that led to awards and quantifies the financial rewards that come from providing superior performance. In most cases, growth slowed, but winners still tended to attain above-average performance. It would appear that (a) service really is the foundation for recognition; (b) more recently, sound management, innovation, and financial performance have come into play; and (c) it is easier to be recognized if the organization is small.

The effect of bank branch closures on new firm formation: the Swedish case

“…The Swedish banking market is characterised by a tight oligopoly in which the four largest commercial banks have a market share of 70% (Boström et al 2015). For parts of the financial market, such as deposits and lending, the commercial banks, therefore, have a very dominant position (Swedish Central Bank 2016).…”