We are excited to welcome Malaly Safi, as Managing Director in Norway at Scandicorp.
She joined us 1st of February bringing management and accounting experience from retail, banking and finance with a focus on sales and customer advisory.
Looking forward to work in an international environment with amazing colleagues. I believe that Scandicorp is a company with a great potential for development. I’m grateful for the opportunity and to be a part of this growth journey.
“The outlook for Nordic banks is stable as operating conditions will remain supportive for banks in 2019 amid robust economic growth”, says Moody’s Investors Service in a report published on the 12th of December. The credit rating agency expects economic growth of 2 to 2.5% across the Nordic region to support loan quality in 2019, and protective features built into banks’ underwriting standards will mitigate the risks posed by high household debt and fast-rising house prices.
“Nordic banks are among the most strongly capitalized in Europe and we expect this to continue to be a key attribute,” said Jean-Francois Tremblay, an Associate Managing Director, at Moody’s. “Most banks have material headroom above their regulatory capital requirements and strong capital generation capacity.”
Large Nordic banks will remain more profitable than most of their European peers, supporting their robust capital levels. The banks are among the most cost-efficient in Moody’s rated universe.
Access to capital markets, an important source of funding for Nordic banks, will remain strong over 2019, although funding costs may rise marginally. Reliance on volatile market funding will be partly mitigated by the wide use of more stable covered bonds.
The report is available to subscribers here: moodys.com.
Despite cultural, economic and business differences the Nordic countries have many positive aspects in common. The choice of where to locate a business in this part of the world will naturally depend on the specific nature of the business in question. Scandicorp will happily discuss with you about the benefits of a specific country for your business. In this article, we will look at 10 good reasons for a foreign business to establish a presence in the Nordic countries (Norway, Sweden and Finland).
The Nordic countries rank very high in international benchmarks in the top places of the most secure and best places to live, least corrupt countries and one of the best health systems in the world.
Everything works. If something doesn’t work, it will usually be addressed as soon as possible. You save a lot of time and nerves when you can rely on the infrastructure, logistics and timekeeping etc.
Most Nordic people are fluent in English and will be more than happy to practice their English with you. Although a basic understanding of the local language will make everyday life easier for you.
Thanks to a good public schooling system and a high overall level of education, recruiting locals will be relatively easy in most fields of business.
The Nordic countries have traditionally been perceived as high-tax jurisdictions. However, the corporate tax rates are very moderate in international comparison.
The Nordic countries have a very strong financial sector, a stable, ethical and predictable business environment. This provides a solid base for a long-term business solution. Good logistics thanks to modern airports, efficient ports and railways.
The governments of the Nordic countries as well as local communities have encouraged and supported research and development, the creation of start-up hubs and events. The atmosphere for start-ups has proved to be very inspiring.
It’s good to find local partners who you could collaborate with on common projects as this will help build your credibility.
In a consistent market with a strong purchasing power due to the relatively high GDP per capita.
Nordic consumers and businesses are among the first to adapt to technologically, new products and concepts. Testing your new products and technologies in the Nordics first before going global may be a smart move.
Bloomberg Markets recently published a survey ”The Battle of Ideas” ranking the most innovative countries in the World. South Korea topped the list. The silver medal was won by Sweden which climbed up one place from last year passing Germany.
The Nordic countries are still highly ranked on the list: Finland as number five, Denmark as eight and Norway as fourteen. Bloomberg ranks countries on the basis of parameters such as patent activity, number of high-tech companies, education and research.
Bloombergs survey correlates well with another recent report, the Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2017 (GTCI) published by Adecco and INSEAD. According to this report the Nordic countries rank among the top in the World. GTCI focuses on how technology affects talent competitiveness and the nature of work. Finland is ranked best in formal education, vocational enrolment, social mobility, environmental performance, employability, ease of finding employees and availability of scientists and engineers.
Do you want to set up your business in one of the most innovative regions of the world? Feel free to contact Scandicorp who will happily provide you with any help and information.
The Nordic countries ranked as top five overall in this year’s Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index. Sweden as first, followed by Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland.
Altogether, the index evaluated 180 countries across their natural capital, resource intensity, intellectual capital, social cohesion and governance. The Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index utilizes recognized data sources (the World Bank, various UN databases) and 109 quantitative performance indicators to measure performance.
The index was compiled by Swiss-Korean sustainability think-tank and advisory SolAbility.
The Nordic countries will no doubt be a good choice to establish a Cleantech startup. Likewise this market would be well suited for established Cleantech companies to test their products and services. Scandicorp will gladly provide you with guidance and corporate services.
Denmark, followed by Norway, Finland and Sweden turned out to enjoy the world’s best and fairest rule of law according to a new global ranking report by the World Justice Project (WSP). Rule of law is a fundamental condition for liberal democracy.
More than 100,000 households and experts were surveyed to measure rule of law in 113 countries. The index is based on the primary factors of: constraint on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice and criminal justice.
Here are the top four performers in each of the index’s main categories:
Constraints on Government Powers – Denmark, Norway, Finland, Netherlands
Absence of Corruption – Denmark, Singapore, Norway, Finland
Open Government – Norway, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands
Fundamental Rights – Norway, Finland, Denmark, Austria
Order and Security – Singapore, Finland, Sweden, Denmark
Regulatory Enforcement – Singapore, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden
Civil Justice – Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Singapore
Criminal Justice – Finland, Norway, Austria, Singapore
One more good reason to establish a business presence in the Nordic countries?
Image from “Polisen” the Swedish Police
Scandicorp, with offices in both Stockholm and Oslo, is now a member of the Norwegian-Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Stockholm.
Both Scandicorp and the Chamber of Commerce share a common purpose: to help entrepreneurs and companies in either country to establish a presence in the other country.
Scandicorp is convinced that many Norwegian companies would benefit greatly from neighboring Sweden and vice versa. If you are a Swedish or Norwegian entrepreneur interested in expanding your horizons good ways to start your journey may be to contact Scandicorp or the Norwegian-Swedish Chamber of Commerce. Scandicorp will happily help you with establishing a presence and provide you with accounting and company management services.
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Catella is a leading specialist in property investments, fund management and banking, with operations in 12 countries across Europe. Catella recently published a Nordic Market Tracker.
The Northern European property market is increasingly featuring in the pan-European real estate portfolios of institutional investors. Compared with other European countries, the economic transparency and prosperity of the markets in the Nordic countries makes them a popular option. Also, the availability of capital opens up new investment opportunities. Catella foresees these opportunities, especially for investments in the office and retail markets.
In general, some 90% of invested capital in the Nordic countries is based on domestic markets (Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland), with a high share of Swedish capital – but this will change. Demand from German, French and UK investors rose in the past three quarters, not least through pressure from capital markets to look for a stable income stream.
“Many markets offer clear potential for portfolio diversification. Copenhagen and Helsinki display a correlation that is slightly negative, as does Berlin. Stockholm’s correlation is below the level identified, for example, for the German cities of Cologne and Dusseldorf, and also from the perspective of Lisbon, Warsaw and London investors. Against this backdrop, combining a Nordic segment with a German, Spanish or Belgium office property segment could be a successful strategy for anyone interested in risk diversification,” explained Dr. Thomas Beyerle, Head of Group Research at Catella, talking about the investment strategy from an international perspective.
Catellas report concludes: “The Nordic countries are not as homogeneous as international stereotypes often suggest. There are marked differences to be aware of when investing. Not only do investors need to know how Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland differ when it comes to their social, economic and political arenas, but there’s something else international observers should keep an eye on, as well: intra-Nordic investment patterns. This report thus concludes that the northern European countries represent enormous potential when it comes to diversifying multinational portfolios. Furthermore, they also demonstrate structural stability for long-term investors with multi-country and multi-asset funds/strategy.”
The London-based think tank, the Legatum Institute, has again released its annual global Prosperity Index. This year’s index ranks Norway as the most prosperous country among 142 countries.
The index compares 89 variables including traditional indicators like per capita gross domestic product and the number of people in full-time work in addition to factors such as number of secure internet servers in the country and how well rested people feel on a day-to-day basis. The variables are then split into eight sub-indexes: economy, entrepreneurship and opportunity, governance, education, health, safety and security, personal freedom, and social capital.
Norway has topped the Prosperity Index for the last past seven years. Norway is the only country ranked in the top 10 of every sub-index.
The other Nordic countries all received high rankings:
Denmark 3rd, after Switzerland (2nd), and second best when it comes to entrepreneurship and opportunity.
Sweden 5th, after New Zeeland (4th), ranks the best for entrepreneurship and opportunity and also fares well in safety and security. The country gained one place in this year’s index.
Finland 9th , ranked the third best in safety and security and fifth best in governance, however, the relatively poor economy has pushed the country down a rank from last year.
Iceland 12th , dropped a rank compared to last year, but ranks in the top five in three sub-indexes; personal freedom, entrepreneurship and opportunity and safety and security.
Would you be interested in expanding your business into this prosperous market?
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 .
Photo: Outi Järvinen/Kl/Arkisto
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