Sweden’s Nordea Bank, the largest bank in the Nordic region, is launching a platform for crowdfunding where individuals can participate in the financing of unlisted companies through purchasing shares in such companies. The bank appears to be taking up the fight against startups in the fintech business.

The platform is being announced today in Finland, where the Finnish Crowdfunding Act is scheduled to come into force in July 2016. According to the Bank’s Twitter account, the platform will be announced in Sweden tomorrow in connection with the quarterly report.

Crowdfunding and crowdlending have become popular in the Nordic region. In Sweden, examples are Fundedbyme , Toborrow , Pepins , Tessin and Kameo, all of which have entered the business from slightly different different angles. These players have been able to act undisturbed by major banks for more than five years , but now Nordea becomes the first traditional bank to embark in the crowdfunding area .

Nordea on Twitter

Photo: Outi Järvinen/Kl/Arkisto

Time to invest in Sweden? Yesterday, Swedish Finance Minister Magdalena Andersson raised the economic growth forecast for 2016 and predicted narrowing deficits in the coming years as an economic boom helps the nation cope with a record influx of asylum seekers.

Gross domestic product will expand 3.8 percent in 2016 and 2.2 percent in 2017, compared with December forecasts of 3.1 percent and 2.6 percent respectively, the Stockholm-based Finance Ministry said in a statement. It now predicts budget deficits of 0.4 percent of GDP in 2016 and 0.7 percent in 2017, compared with earlier forecasts of 0.9 percent and 0.8 percent.

The growth forecast is one percent higher than the forecast presented in connection with the 2016 budget last fall. Growth is now higher than in the United States, Germany and Great Britain. Unemployment is at its lowest level in seven years and Sweden gains market shares on international export markets.

The finance minister expressed worries that despite the good outlook there are some risks associated with the present state of the economy in the close trading partners Finland and Norway.

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“You will soon be connected to a random Swede, somewhere in Sweden.” 250 years ago Sweden was the first country to abolish censorship. Now Sweden is the first country with its own phone number. Call the Swedish number on +46 771 793 336 and a random Swede will pick up the phone. Why not call the Swedish number when you need some Swedish business culture advice for your next business meeting?

A bit of Swedish business culture

Swedes are very punctual and direct, laid back but yet efficient, Swedes take business seriously. You should never be late. If you must be late for some reason it is polite to phone and let the other person know. Being late is seen as poor etiquette. You may think twice before ordering a glass of wine at your next business lunch. When you are doing business in Sweden you can expect to address a person by his or her first name. Don’t forget handshake is the accepted form of greeting.

Interested to invest in Sweden?

Contact Scandicorp direct on +46 8 122 041 45 or send an e-mail to our Nordic Business Development Director Till Sahlgren: till.sahlgren@scandicorp.com. He is English, Swedish and Finnish speaking.

Free Fact Sheet about doing business in Sweden: