Digital innovation in the financial industry – how we take the next steps

At Nordea, we have invested significantly in developing our digital capabilities for many years with the goal of making banking easy and accessible for our customers. Our digital platforms offer customers the freedom and independence to manage their finances when it is most convenient for them – and they have embraced this opportunity. 

Today, customers can apply for a mortgage via the mobile banking app, receive a digital loan promise within minutes, sign mortgage agreements digitally, and easily  witch between variable and fixed interest rates. Savings through digital channels now correspond to 63% of all retail savings transactions. Moreover, through a chat function on our websites, customers can receive a quick answer to any question. We have also developed a digital adviser that gives customers a savings recommendation matching their finances, expected return, attitude to risk and investment horizon.

We continue to expand our self-service features, making it easier for customers to manage their finances in real time. Our target is to have doubled the number of available digital products and services by 2025 compared with 2022.

Open banking and digital payments

Emerging technologies are crucial for the evolution of the financial sector. Our approach allows us to embrace and deploy modern digital products and solutions by innovating in-house or partnering with relevant third parties that can help us rapidly deliver tangible benefits for personal and corporate customers. We have been a first mover in the Nordics with our Open Banking and Application Programming Interface (API) platform. 

Our APIs enable us to participate in the open market ecosystem, improve customer experience and change the way financial services are used. Digital payments is one area where our customers have benefited from our open banking approach. The Nordics are at the forefront of the move to cashless societies and contactless payments. At Nordea, we support the shift to digital payments, where we see large benefits, including more security and protection, lower costs for small businesses, and financial crime prevention. 

Financial inclusion

We also recognise the importance of financial inclusion. For example, through our community engagement activities, we help the elderly adapt to using digital services. We offer a wide range of innovative digital payment options for personal and corporate customers, accessible on smartphones, tablets, smartwatches and desktop computers. These include our own in-house developments as well as services delivered through active partnerships and third parties. The shift to digital does not mean that customers who do not wish, or are unable, to use cashless solutions are left behind: we also provide support and solutions for people and situations where digital banking is not an option.