OREANDA-NEWS  On 16 September was announced, that the Hansabanka Group in the Baltics adopted a single – Swedbank – brand. Over the coming months, the name of Hansabanka will gradually be changed to Swedbank. The single Swedbank brand implementation process will be completed in autumn 2009.

Mr Jan Liden, the CEO of Swedbank Group, underlines that the Baltics have always been an important region for Swedbank’s operations, despite the economy currently slowing down. He says: “Our goal in the Baltics is to operate as successfully as before. The Swedbank Group has accumulated the necessary long-term experience in how to operate successfully during different cycles of economy.  We are not discouraged by the current economic situation in the Baltics, as we possess the necessary experience and expertise in how to work efficiently and continue offering our customers an outstanding service and a wide selection of banking products. Service leadership lies in the foundation of the Swedbank brand – our ambition is to provide the best service in our home markets.

“This is a special moment in the history of Hansabanka – we are entering a new stage of development. With the Swedbank name, we will build a cross-border organization with a higher competitive capacity in Europe. By combining the best expertise and experience, we will be able to offer our clients new-level products and services. Our most important goal is to become the leader of outstanding service - now on a European scale. Under a single – Swedbank – name this goal will be faster and more efficient to achieve”, emphasises Mr Maris Avotins, the head of Swedbank in Latvia. 

The single brand implementation process will be made as smooth as possible for the bank’s clients and cooperation partners - the transition will be gradual and transparent. In the coming months, the Swedbank logo will be put on signboards at the branches and on the website of the bank. The legal names of the bank and its affiliates will be changed in spring 2009. It means that until then all contracts will be made with Hansabanka or its affiliates. All agreements made with Hansabanka or its affiliates will also continue in force after the change of the legal names.  The brand implementation process will be completed in autumn 2009.  “Customer satisfaction with the bank’s service is our first priority, therefore, we have decided to carry out the rebranding gradually within a year,” Mr Maris Avotins explains the rebranding process.