OREANDA-NEWS. Within the frames of integration of all companies belonging to the Swed-bank Group under a united trademark the Russian bank of this Group – Hansabank (OAO) has been renamed as OAO Swedbank. This bank has been operating in the Russian market from 2005. Previously it specialized in financing businesses of large and medium companies, reported the press-centre of  Swedbank.


Maintaining successful development in the field of corporative crediting the Swed-bank Group has decided to go to the Russian retail market offering programs of mortgage credits and consumer lending for which purpose Swedbank will develop its branch network. During the next 2 years Swedbank is planning to open 15 more branches in Moscow, St Petersburg, Kaliningrad.


To develop banking business in the rapidly growing market of Russia is an important component of the Group’s strategy. Russia will play a key role for future success of Swedbank due to enormous potential of the Russian financial market. In future our goal will be to firmly establish Swedbank in the Russian market as a leader by the level of rendered services and to form a perception in the people’s mind that interacting with us is easier whenever we are represented. Swedbank strategy is aimed to reform it`s banking operations in Russia to become during the next 3-5 years a large-scale bank offering full banking services. It is planned to increase loan portfolio sufficiently for corporate and private clients as well.


In treating Russian clients Swedbank adhere to the guidelines associ-ated with easy access, simplicity and initiative and offer a new type of banking ser-vices which will become the key to the Group’s success in Russia. Swedbank has 8,9 million retail customers and 466 thousand corporate customers and has 771 branches and representation offices. The group is present in Copenha-gen, Helsinki, Luxembourg, Marbella, New York, Oslo, Shanghai, Tokyo, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad and Kiev. As of Q1 2007 Swedbank Group had total assets of EUR 160,5 billion and more than 17 thousand employees. For more information about Swedbank Group, please visit www.swedbank.com and www.swedbank.ru.