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.
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.
An increasing number of consumers are falling victim to investment fraud. In a report to the Government, FI proposes, among other things, enhanced work to prevent investment fraud.
Many people find it difficult to make decisions about their finances. The majority of Swedes understand financial terms but are not knowledgeable about how these concepts impact their own finances. Finansinspektionen (FI) is releasing a report today that evaluates the authority’s work with financial education and identifies a number of areas where deficient financial literacy could impose significant risks on the consumer.
Amortisation requirements, the LTI ratio, and the LTV cap are macroprudential policy tools that are used in Sweden and many other countries. But what are the potential effects of these borrower-based measures? To answer to this question, Finansinspektionen commissioned two expert reports on the topic.