In Sweden we have environmental objectives to achieve for the year 2020. Swedish banks have a responsibility like everyone else in a society to act environmentally responsible. When Swedish banks are lending to SMEs they are taking a risk, however, banks are risk averse and want to minimize their risk. By lending to a company that does not take environmental responsibility the risk are increasing. In this study we want to research if Swedish banks take environmental responsibility of companies into account when lending to SMEs. Previous studies show that banks do make an environmental consideration when lending to companies, but there is lack of similar studies in Swedish banks. Additionally, the previous findings have shown to be contradictory. We also thought it would be interesting to see whether Swedish banks are familiar with the environmental objectives since we are not far from 2020. Additionally, we want to find out if there have been any changes since previous years, and if Swedish banks work differently with environmental issues in their lending process to SMEs. Thus, our problem statement is: Do Swedish banks take SMEs environmental responsibility into account in the lending process? And are the Swedish banks familiar with the environmental objectives? Some theories that are discussed in this study are the environmental risks that the banks are exposing themselves to when lending to SMEs. The environmental risks are divided into three categories, reputational risk, direct risk and indirect risk. Another theory that we discuss is the information asymmetry, which also affects the lending process. To grant a loan that is not too risky for the bank, and still fair to the company, the bank need to make an assessment. The assessment is based on the information SMEs gives Swedish banks and therefore the companies have the possibility to not be completely truthful. This is a quantitative research with a deductive approach, and in order to get our results we sent out surveys to Swedish banks that work with lending to SMEs. A total of 75 surveys were sent to the Swedish banks and the 32 answers we received constituted a response rate of 51,6 % since only 62 surveys reached the respondents. The result from our survey showed that Swedish banks do take the environmental responsibility of the company into account when lending to SMEs, however, they are not familiar with the environmental objectives. Thus, they do consider the companies’ environmental responsibility when granting loans to SMEs, however, we do not know whether the environmental objectives are included in this process or not. We could also see from the result of our survey that Swedish banks environmental responsibility has change with time. The conclusion of this research is that Swedish banks do take environmental responsibility of the company into account when lending to SMEs. This is something they should consider to develop and incorporate in their environmental work. However, they are not familiar with the environmental objectives.

Rapid internationalization of economic activities takes an important place in the last decades in the world economy. Services make a huge contribution to the international trade and their expansion grows constantly. It is very important nowadays to investigate the internationalization process of business service firms, their motivations and modes of entering into the new unexplored market. Moreover, correct choice of entry mode and evaluation of the incentives can affect the firm’s performance and the duration of the presence in a foreign market. It is also very important to understand the implications of initial mode of operations for different kinds of services.The purpose of this thesis is to gain better understanding of internationalization process of service firms, their incentives to enter new market and choice of entry mode. This is gained by evaluating such service firms that provide financial services as Swedbank and SEB Bank and their international performance in Baltic countries and Ukraine. These chosen companies provide the study cases for this paper.For this study, deductive approach is used in order to observe the theory, empirical findings and then to draw specific conclusion. Empirical data consists of two study cases of Swedbank and SEB Bank. Through the literature review a theoretical framework is developed in order to help the authors evaluate the motives which influence bank´s decision in selecting an entry mode.The findings of this research are that the main incentive of SEB to internationalize is following its customers and increasing market power in order to become a leader in providing financial services. While for Swedbank customer following and profit incentives are identified as crucial ones when going international. The results show that acquisition is an identical entry mode for both banks and is chosen as most sufficient one.Key words: internationalization process of service firms, banks, incentives, entry modes and acquisition.

This research shed the light on regulations and their effects on operational risk management within the Swedish Swedish Banking Sector. The focus lies on operational risk management due to the introduction of new regulations such as FFFS 2014:1, FFFS 2014:4 and FFFS 2014:5. What could be found in the empirical analysis is that the regulations affected organizational changes.  Additionally, differences between large and small banks could be seen. All changes in terms of implementation of regulations are strongly performed throughout the Three Lines of Defence model where clear organization structure and work description are of importance. The Three Lines of Defence is tightly combined with the COSO framework and operational risk management to conduct compliant organization that is adaptable for any regulatory changes.

In 2008, a financial crisis struck the world economy, causing a risk of a potential system-crash. In order to stabilize the financial system within Europe, European Banking Authority (EBA) presented new guidelines (GL44) as a way, among others, to increase the transparency among financial institutions. As a result of GL44, Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (FSA) implemented new regulations, with minor adjustments and amendments. At present, the guidelines are weeks from being completely implemented, thus meaning that the financial industry is able to start seeing the changes from the regulations.The authors have chosen to conduct a study regarding how the banks have been affected from the external authority demands during the previous recession.The focus of the study has been on three of Sweden’s four large banks, which are considered systematically important, as well as one niche bank.The study showed that the work in board and top-management was affected by external demands from authorities. The attention on business development was disturbed during the recession since more focus was put on controlling factors such as compliance, risk management and internal audit as well as on board composition and board competence.

The purpose of this thesis is to gain deeper knowledge on what factors impacted the internationalization process of Swedish banks. By distinguishing the factors the goal is to increase the understanding and awareness of the effect of these factors can have on foreign banks or financial institutions when internationalizing to a transition economy. To be able to create a wider perspective the study has been conducted through a qualitative method and an abductive research approach. We have been able to collect primary data by conducting interviews with the banks that have been a part of this multiple case study. In order to develop an understanding and to be able to fulfil our purpose with the thesis the main research question is formulated as follows: What factors have impacted the internationalization of Swedish banks to the Baltic market?   The theoretical review includes previous research and theories related to internationalization, business environment and factors that can impact the internationalization process. The methodology chapter explains the approach, method and design we have used. The empirical data and the theoretical framework are discussed in order to find out what drove the banks to the internationalization.   The analysis will describe how the banks have internationalized, why the banks chose one specific market in the beginning and the reason to why the internationalization occurred in the first place.   The conclusion shows that the most important factor of the internationalization to the Baltic countries was because of the change in the governmental and economical structure. The factors that affect the choice of country is also significant, with the reason to see which country was most developed during the time the Swedish banks entered the market.

Background: The financial crisis of 2007-2010 had a massive impact on the financial markets worldwide. The crisis was partly blamed on the credit derivatives collateralized debt obligations and credit default swaps. These instruments were used to create leverage and speculation, which led to uncertainty in the financial system worldwide. There has been no recent documentation of how credit derivatives are used in Swedish banks, and what risks and opportunities they bring along. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to describe the use of credit derivatives in Swedish banks, what benefits and risks they may generate and how the recent financial crisis has affected their use. Research Method: This is a qualitative multiple case study which uses an inductive approach. The study covers four cases, three of the largest Swedish commercial banks, and a bank that specializes on international financing. Seven people working in different fields in these banks have been interviewed. Conclusions: Credit derivatives are mostly used for hedging in Swedish banks, which mainly involves the use of credit default swaps, and sometimes iTraxx. Purely speculative trades are rare. The risks that arise are mainly due to lack of transparency in OTC trading, and abusive use of these instruments. Credit derivatives greatly facilitate risk management in banks. Regulations have increased since the financial crisis and the demand for more complex products greatly decreased.

2013 är det första året samtliga fyra svenska storbanker frivilligt väljer att upprätta separata hållbarhetsredovisningar. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka för vilka intressenter de svenska storbankernas hållbarhetsredovisningar som avser 2012, är mest relevanta. Studiens empiri består av en kvalitativ tvärsnittsstudie som utvärderar respektive hållbarhetsredovisning och sammanfattningsvis ger en helhetsbild av fenomenet. Empirin analyseras med stöd från teorier och forskningsstudier med koppling till hållbarhetsredovisning. Studiens analys resulterar i en slutsats som visar att storbankernas hållbarhetsredovisningar är mest relevanta för storbankernas egennytta i form av ett strategiverktyg som samtidigt belyser företagsandan. / 2013 is the first year that all four major Swedish banks voluntarily choose to establish separate sustainability reports. The purpose of this study is to find out for whom the major Swedish banks sustainability reports, relating to 2012, is most relevant. The empirical part consists of a qualitative cross-sectional study evaluating each sustainability report and in summary shows an overall picture of the phenomenon. The empirical data are analyzed with support from theories and research studies related to the subject sustainability reports. The analysis results in a conclusion that indicates that sustainability reports are most relevant to the major banks self-interest as a management tool that enhance corporate culture.

Sammanfattning – ”Finansinspektionens krav på högre kärnprimärkapital: En studie av de svenska storbankerna” Datum: 2013-05-31 Nivå: Kandidatuppsats i företagsekonomi, 15 ECTS Institution: Akademin för ekonomi, samhälle och teknik, EST, Mälardalens Högskola Författare: Frida Hoffmann & Kajsa Ljungqvist Jansson Titel: Finansinspektionens krav på högre kärnprimärkapital: En studie av de svenska storbankerna Handledare: Staffan Boström Nyckelord: Kärnprimärkapital, de svenska storbankerna, Finansinspektionen Frågeställning: Vilka strategier har de svenska storbankerna använt sig av för att uppnå kravet på högre kärnprimärkapital samt fördela kostnaderna som medföljer? Vilka konsekvenser har det hittills fått för bankerna då de redan börjat anpassa sig till kravet? Syfte: Syftet med studien är att beskriva vilka strategier som legat till grund för att de fyra svenska storbankerna skall klara av det högre kravet på kärnprimärkapital som Finansinspektionen ställer. Undersökningen ämnar även utvärdera vilka konsekvenser förändringarna har fått hittills för bankerna och vem som har belastats med kostnaden för det ökade kärnprimärkapitalet. Metod: Metoden som använts var av kvalitativ karaktär där sekundärdata som samlats in varit från böcker, rapporter och artiklar. Primärdata har samlats in från personliga intervjuer och analyserades sedan med hjälp av sekundära datan. Slutsats: De svenska storbankerna har implementerat tydliga strategier för att uppfylla Finansinspektionens krav. Det visade sig att de banker som använt sig av att se över sin prissättning också var de banker som ligger i topp vad gäller kärnprimärkapitalrelationen. Konsekvensen av det nya kravet har blivit ett större fokus på att ha rätt kunder samt kostnadsfokus för att på så vis täcka upp för de kostnader som kravet medför. / Abstract – “The higher demand on Core tier 1 capital from Finansinspektionen:                 study of the major Swedish banks”  Date: 2013-05-31 Level: Bachelor thesis in business administration, 15 ECTS Institution: School of Business, Society and Engineering Authors: Frida Hoffmann & Kajsa Ljungqvist Jansson Title: The higher demand on Core tier 1 capital from Finansinspektionen: study of the major Swedish banks Tuthor: Staffan Boström Keywords: Core tier 1 capital, the four major Swedish banks, Finansinspektionen Research Question: What strategies have the four major Swedish banks used to fulfill the recommendations from Finansinspektionen regarding higher level of Core tier 1 capital and how have they allocated the costs included? What consequences have the banks experienced so far as they have started to adjust to the new requirements? Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe what strategies have formed the basis of the four major Swedish banks to manage with the increasing demands on the Core tier 1 capital from Finansinspektionen. The study also intends to evaluate what consequences the changes have had so far and who have been charged with the costs that the demand brings. Method: The method used was of a qualitative nature where the secondary data collected was from books and reports. The primary data collected was from personal interviews and was then later analyzed using the secondary data collected. Conclusion: All of the major Swedish banks now meet the requirements that Finansinspektionen imposes on its Core tier 1 capital. The numbers that differ between banks depends on what strategy has been used. It was found during the study that the banks that revised their pricing was also the banks that are at the top in terms of Core tier 1 capital ratio. The consequence of the new requirement appears to have been a greater focus on having the right customers and the right cost to manage the costs that the new requirement brings.

Title: The major banks digital customer relationships - a qualitative study of the impact of  digitalization on customer relationships in the banking sector.  Author: Emelie Fernholm and Emma Finnhult.  Keywords: Swedish banks, digitalization in the banking sector, digital customer relationships.  Aim: The aim of this study is to describe how banking clerks experience the impact of digitalization on customer relationships. Furthermore, the study aims to investigate whether the older generation has been affected harder by increased digitalization in the banking sector comparison with the younger generation and whether video chats is a successful complement to other digital channels to include more senses in customer conversation.  Theoretical reference frame: The theoretical frame of reference consists of the subject areas digitalization, digitalization in the banking sector, generations, customer relationships, customer loyalty and asymmetric information flows. The theory further presents several models. These models describe the impact of digitalization on the business, various relationship programs to create a good relationship with the customer and an alternative database for evaluating customer relationships. The theory chapter ends with an “understanding model” that connects the entire theoretical frame of reference.  Method: This study is based on a qualitative research method. Eight bank clerks have been interviewed from Sweden's major banks in a small municipality, a medium-sized municipality and a large municipality. The answers have been analyzed with the help of an intra- and interval analysis.  Conclusion: The theoretical frame of reference and the empirical material have finally resulted in four conclusions. The study shows that bank clerks customer relationships have been affected more positive than negative as a result of increased digitalization, that long-term customer relations have not become less important in Sweden's major banks as a result of increased digitalization, the problem that the older generation is affected by digitalization is explained much worse in the theoretical frame of reference compared to what bank clerks believe and video chats is a good complement to other digital channels to include more senses in the customer conversation.

Concerns related to the control of personal “digital data” have resulted in initiatives being taken globally to safeguard the individuals’ control over their own data. The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) being a significant example in this connection. Specifically, two protective rights regarding respectively the right for data to be forgotten and their portability have been brought in to enhance individuals’ control over their data. As a consequence, data governance which signifies the “power relations between all the actors affected by, or having an effect on, the way data is accessed, controlled, shared and used, the various socio-technical arrangements set in place to generate value from data, and how such value is redistributed between actors” (Micheli et al., 2020, p. 3) has become a crucial endeavour for governments and businesses around the world. A scrutiny of different models of data governance highlighted the notion of personal data sovereignty (PDS) which indicates enhanced empowerment of data subjects through self-determination. PDS, additionally, entails an appropriate combination of empowerment, economic development, enhanced knowledge and profit to participating private organisations. Further, data subjects, in PDS, have the power to access, regulate, share and investigate their information at all times. In this regard, the present study investigated the manner in which banks in Sweden manage the sustainability of the sovereignty of their data. Based on the problem statement, the research question of the study was formulated as follows: “How do banks govern personal data sovereignty?” The research strategy used for the present study was an exploratory survey design with a quantitative approach to obtain data from executives in Swedish banks. The present study used a survey strategy. Survey strategies employing questionnaires are widespread since they permit standardised data to be obtained from a large population in a very economical manner. Further, the data collected can be easily compared. Moreover, the survey strategy is viewed as reliable, in general, by people and it is also relatively straightforward both for the researcher to explain and for the participants to understand. A custom questionnaire was designed for the study based on insights obtained from existing academic and business research. Sections in the questionnaire were designed to obtain data related to areas such as, data governance in Sweden, personal data, usage of personal data, and PDS. The study’s findings reveal that banks in Sweden take different measures to help their customers maintain their PDS. As a result, bank employees seem to robustly understand personal data, how their banks utilize the personal data of customers, and the extent to which customers are aware of banks’ use of their personal data. It could also be concluded that banks were using measures which were in line with existing Swedish and EU data protection standards and laws. The study’s findings contribute to further research concerning data sovereignty and use of personal data in the banking sector. Further, it can aid banks to manage their global customers’ data. The study was constrained chiefly by the limited empirical literature associated with the study’s topic and the restricted time available for the study