Sustainability risks can rarely be separated from financial risks. Therefore, a sustainability analysis is carried out for corporate loans exceeding SEK 8 million in Sweden and SEK 0.8 million in the Baltic countries. During the analysis, general sustainability risks are discussed with the customer based on a risk assessment model that includes issues relating to human rights, the environment and climate, as well as tax and corruption issues.

If the company is deemed to have significant sustainability risks, and/or the amount applied for is too high for the responsible employee to grant, the case is escalated to a credit committee for final decision.

Swedbank’s Sustainability and Ethics Council deals with matters from across the Group and makes recommendations on issues relating to sustainability and ethics. In this way, all business areas can, by escalating matters to the Council, receive support on issues relating to business ethics, human rights and tax.

As Sweden’s largest fund manager, we have the opportunity to influence the companies in which we invest. We have chosen to act on sustainability and corporate governance issues on behalf of our shareholders. We invest in a large number of companies both in Sweden and abroad. As part of the financial analysis, we identify companies’ sustainability risks and opportunities for improvement. Some companies are excluded for sustainability reasons, but our main principle is to remain the owner and influence.