The origins of the bank involve a strong social commitment. Following the stock exchange listing of the bank, this key task has been managed by the savings bank foundations, which own slightly more than 20 percent of the bank. The foundations receive nearly EUR 100m annually that can be used to promote business, research, sports and culture.
Swedbank is one of the main sponsors of the Friends Foundation, which works to prevent bullying and offensive behaviour at Swedish schools.
Each week, Friends visits six or seven schools, from primary to upper-secondary, to provide training.
The bank offers several products that support the operations of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Each time a customer uses a WWF MasterCard or WWF Maestro card, Swedbank makes a certain donation to the WWF. In this way, the WWF received EUR 350,000 from the bank in 2005.
Another example is a new savings account whereby customers donate the interest on their deposits to the WWF.
Swedbank is giving its name to the Nordic region’s largest arena, which is being constructed in an entirely new neighbourhood in Stockholm. The new Swedish national arena will be one of Europe’s most modern and environmentally friendly venues for sports, culture and business events.
