Result

2022

FI intends to raise the countercyclical buffer rate to 2 per cent

Finansinspektionen (FI ) intends to raise the countercyclical buffer rate to 2 per cent in Q2 2022.

2021

Stability in the Financial System (2021:2)

Sweden’s economy has largely recovered and there is good access to financing in the financial system. The Riksbank should therefore begin the phase-out of asset purchasing to avoid further increase of risk-taking. Amongst others, FI sees growing risks within the commercial real estate companies.

Resilience is needed as the risks in the commercial real estate sector increase

The economic recovery has been stronger than expected this year, in part due to strong support measures during the pandemic. At the same time, risks are building up, writes Finansinspektionen (FI) in its second stability report of the year. The report is being presented today by Director General Erik Thedéen and Chief Economist Henrik Braconier at a press conference.

Karin Lundberg: Finansinspektionen’s view on capital and distributions

Karin Lundberg, Executive Director of Banking, talked about Finansinspektionen’s view on capital and distributions in a speech at the  UBS Annual Nordic Financial Services Conference.

Mortgages must be amortised again

The rules on amortisation go into effect as normal again after 31 August. The temporary exemption that Finansinspektionen (FI) introduced due to the exceptional uncertainty in the economy during the spring of 2020 is now ending. This means that households with high loan-to-value and debt-to-income ratios must amortise their mortgages.

FI will not extend its recommendation regarding dividends

Uncertainty is decreasing, and the economy is continuing to recover. Therefore, the recommendation regarding restrictions on dividends will not be extended. The recommendation ends on 30 September 2021.

Overall assessment of macroprudential measures

Since 2010, FI has implemented a number of macroprudential measures aimed at increasing the resilience in the financial system and subduing the risks associated with high and rising household debt. These measures include tightening the capital requirements on banks and introducing a mortgage cap and two amortisation requirements. In this report, we present an overall assessment of these measures, with a focus on the measures that, via lenders, place restrictions on households’ mortgage borrowing.

FI Analys No 34: Temporary amortisation exemption led to new mortgagors borrowing

The temporary amortisation exemption resulted in new mortgagors borrowing almost 4 per cent more and buying homes that were approximately 1 per cent more expensive, concludes a new FI Analysis.

Stability in the Financial System (2021:1)

The economy is continuing to recover. Support measures have been necessary to speed up the recovery, but they need to be gradually phased out as the economy strengthens. This applies primarily to measures that are associated with the build-up of stability risks.

Support measures can build up stability risks

The support measures have been important for offsetting the economic impact of the crisis and speeding up the recovery. However, they can also contribute to greater stability risks in the long run, concludes Finansinspektionen (FI) in this year’s first report on the stability in the financial system, which is being published today.

FI’s prioritised areas for 2021

Are the banks conducting thorough credit assessments when customers apply for consumer credit? Are smaller banks and payment service firms taking sufficient measures to prevent money laundering? What risks will the coronavirus pandemic pose in the future? These are three areas that Finansinspektionen (FI) will look more closely at in 2021.

Finansinspektionen’s prioritised areas for 2021

Consumer protection, money laundering and risks that the coronavirus pandemic may pose in the future are three areas that FI will look more closely at in 2021.

2020

Financial firms must be restrictive with dividends until September 2021

2020-12-18 | Coronavirus ESRB News

In light of the economic uncertainty caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, FI expects banks, including credit institutions and other financial firms such as insurance companies, to be restrictive with dividends and share buybacks until 30 September 2021. During this period, total dividends from and buybacks by the banks should not exceed 25 per cent of their aggregate net earnings for the two financial years 2019–2020.

Macro-based stress test of Swedish banks: results and methodology, autumn 2020

Finansinspektionen (FI) presents in this memorandum a stress test of the Swedish banks that we conducted in the autumn of 2020. The results indicate that the major banks have significant resilience to the credit losses that could arise and also a capacity to maintain the supply of credit.

Stability in the Financial System (2020:2)

The pandemic has triggered a deep economic recession in many countries, even if a slight recovery has begun. Extensive support measures have mitigated the economic impact and reduced the uncertainty on the financial markets. During the autumn, infection rates have once again begun to increase and several countries have introduced new restrictions, which will dampen the economic recovery, even though it is uncertain to which extent.

Dampened recovery can weaken financial stability

An increase in the spread of the coronavirus will dampen the recovery in European economies and, in the long run, this could impact financial stability, writes Finansinspektionen (FI) in this year’s second stability report, which will be published today.

FI Analysis 26: Macro-based credit loss model for major Swedish banks

Large credit losses can result in otherwise profitable banks reporting a loss. This FI Analysis describes a methodology for estimating how large credit losses can be in a stressed macroeconomic scenario.

Bank dividends not appropriate until the situation has stabilised

As the crisis unrolled this past spring in full force, it required fast and extraordinary measures. For example, FI lowered the countercyclical buffer requirement for the banks and encouraged them at the same time to postpone their dividend payments until the situation had become clearer. During the autumn, FI repeated its message to the banks to not make any dividend payments in 2020.

Continued grounds for suspension of dividend payments for the rest of the year

Despite positive signals, there is still considerable uncertainty about how the coronavirus pandemic will develop in the next few months in both Sweden and the rest of the world. To ensure the banks’ resilience in a situation that continues to be uncertain, the banks should suspend the payment of dividends to shareholders in 2020. This was the message from Finansinspektionen’s Director General Erik Thedéen at Fastighetsdagen today.

ESRB recommendation on distribution

The COVID-19 pandemic has incurred large human and economic costs and also affected the financial sector. Maintaining own funds in financial institutions is important both for ensuring the resilience of the financial system and supporting banks' lending through this crisis.