Our role in society

A bank that acts sustainably and responsibly has a substantial positive impact on society in general.

In the community

The branch office in a central position

In Handelsbanken, the local branch office is responsible for all the Bank’s business conducted in its area. This way of working gives us the chance to contribute to different local investments. By being and operating where the customer is, we have the opportunity to really get to know them and our community. And, our decentralised business model means that even the business decisions are made by the branch office, close to the customer.

We are convinced that a well-functioning bank creates many positive effects for society, such as a sustainable economic development and a stable infrastructure.

A wide branch network

In Handelsbanken's home markets Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and the UK we have extensive branch networks. In addition, the Bank is present in other markets to support customers from our home markets.

Locations

Human rights

Respect for human rights is essential to long-term value creation for us at Handelsbanken. We support and respect the protection of human rights in all of our operations.

Examples of conventions and principles which are relevant to us are the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. As part of this, at Handelsbanken we have chosen to integrate a number of the sustainable development goals into our operations.

The Sustainable Development Goals

Taxes

For us at Handelsbanken, tax is an important sustainability topic. Our actions regarding tax-related matters must be responsible and transparent and comply with prevailing laws and regulations, and high ethical standards must always be observed. We pay taxes and government fees in all countries where we operate. Our policy for sustainability is a starting point for work with tax-related matters. We also have tax management guidelines that describe our coordinated management, governance and follow-up of tax-related matters.

Information about how much tax we pay, and in which countries, are available in the Annual and sustainability report 2023 (pdf 4.4 MB) Opens in a new window.

Financial crime

At Handelsbanken we have a Group-wide department dedicated to preventing financial crime. All employees of Handelsbanken, regardless of where they work in the Group, are obliged to follow the Bank’s regulations concerning financial crime and corruption. We have zero tolerance for financial crime in the Bank.

We have established several policies to help us stop and prevent financial crime. We have chosen not to conduct business with customers or businesses where the risk is considered high that the Bank will be used for financial crime. We also have routines and frameworks for dealing with conflicts of interest and corruption.

91 percent of all employees have been trained in anti-corruption, measures against money laundering and terrorist financing.

Policy documents and guidelines

Services for the public good

Value-based activities

Our values should be part of everything we do, so local branches are encouraged to work with and support value-based activities. Examples range from supporting young footballers, helping startups or certifying as a dementia friendly branch.

Initiatives

Through the years we have engaged in several collaborations and initiatives that we believe change our society for the better, both directly and indirectly. These involvements gives us an even bigger opportunity to promote children’s rights, stop climate change, act against corruption and to share our Economic expertise.

These important collaborations reflect what we at Handelsbanken stand for.

Initiatives

Whistleblowing – report irregularities

It is important for us to counteract risks and maintain confidence in our business operations. That is why we encourage our employees and other stakeholders to report suspected irregularities and unacceptable conditions. Report via our whistleblower system managed by WhistleB. All cases are treated confidentially and you can choose to report anonymously.

Whistleblowing