Together to support the growth of our customers

Aktia and Swedbank entered a strategic partnership in May 2024. The agreement provides a basis for long-term cooperation aimed at creating better services for corporate customers of both banks.

Why is Aktia cooperating with Swedbank?
“Our cooperation supports Aktia’s strategy and our objective of seeking growth particularly in small and medium-sized enterprises”, says Anssi Huhta, Aktia´s Executive Vice President, Banking Business. 

“Not everything needs to be done in-house. As a domestic player, it is natural for us to have a Nordic partner that shares our values, ideas and practices”, says Anu Vainio, Aktia´s Director, Corporate Banking. 

How do Aktia's customers benefit from the cooperation?
“Swedbank is a strong player in the large corporate market. This cooperation allows us to offer growing corporate customers the opportunity to use a trusted partner'scomprehensive services internationally, thereby supporting the growth of these corporate customers. Through Swedbank, our customers now have access to services such as foreign trade financing and interest rate hedging. In the long term, I see opportunities for expanding our offering”, says Huhta.

“A customer relationship at Aktia opens the door for our corporate customers to Swedbank and lowers the threshold for complementing our services”, says Vainio.  

What can Aktia offer Swedbank's customers?
“Our investments in systems for leasing, hire purchase products and factoring services will also benefit Swedbank's large corporate customers in the future. Similarly, our cash management solutions in euros have attracted interest. It is also possible to extend this cooperation to our wealth management products, so that we could, for instance, give Swedbank's customers access to our high-quality funds”, says Vainio. 

How has the cooperation with Swedbank started?
“The premise for the partnership was good because we complement each other and do not compete for the same customers. Transferring the services discontinued by Swedbank to Aktia was carried out as planned for the customers who selected this option. Thereafter, we entered the normal cooperation phase. The cooperation has already resulted in several concrete solutions that benefit the customers”, says Huhta.

“The employees of both banks have been open and unprejudiced towards the partnership. The journey to date has provided employees with learning opportunities and a unique opportunity to build Nordic cooperation”, says Vainio.  

This article has also been published in Aktia´s annual review 2024.