Andy King

Individual Banking Manager @Handelsbanken

Handelsbanken is a full-service bank for both personal and corporate customers and has a nationwide branch network in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Great Britain and Netherlands. Handelsbanken regards these countries as its domestic markets. The bank was founded in 1871 and currently has over 11,500 employees working in 24 countries. The Bank has 57 branches in Denmark, 45 in Finland, 49 in Norway, over 200 in Great Britain and 462 in Sweden. Since the early 1970s, Handelsbanken’s organisation has been strongly decentralised and operations are always based on the customer\'s requirements. This means that all business decisions regarding individual customers’ relationships with the Bank are taken close to the customer. Handelsbanken has more satisfied customers than peer banks, is one of the most cost-effective listed full-service banks in Europe and every year during the past 40 years has had higher return on equity than the average of peer banks.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.Handelsbanken has a different perspective from most other Banks. As a relationship bank, they are driven only by what their customers want, designing tailored solutions to suit their demands. And because they are not target driven, they can take a long term view, investing time to get to know their customers, their needs and ambitions. This approach is summed up in a quote from their 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.\"