koskull von kasper

Nordea, one of the biggest banks in Europe, has established Nordea Ventures to make strategic investments in fintech start-up companies as it follows its strategy of building an agile, digital bank.

The bank has already partnered with and invested in fintech companies in order to develop new solutions faster than it could alone and Nordea Ventures will enable it to accelerate this process to bring new products to market for its 10 million household and 540,000 corporate customers.

Casper von Koskull, president and group CEO of Nordea, said: “We want to play an active role in developing new technologies for the financial sector from early on.

“It’s not just about providing capital, but also about engaging with start-ups and sharing our expertise. This will benefit Nordea and the companies we invest in, but most of all our customers.”

Ewan MacLeod, chief digital officer at Nordea, said: “We need to be where the innovation is taking place. Establishing Nordea Ventures is a natural next step toward engaging with and supporting the wider financial ecosystem.”

Nordea Ventures investments are mainly, but not exclusively, expected to be in companies which have a Nordic focus.

One example of a fintech company Nordea has already invested in is Tink, a financial aggregator based in Sweden, which allows customers to better understand what they spend their money on and how this changes over time.

Nordea said it would actively engage with each portfolio company, involving senior business leaders in sponsorship roles, and take a long-term ownership approach.