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Handelsbanken to close more than 100 branches across Sweden

Swedish bank Handelsbanken is set to close almost half of its branches in Sweden, in a bid to cut costs.

Handelsbanken to close more than 100 branches across Sweden
Handelsbanken said more and more of its customers were using digital banking. Photo: Vilhelm Stokstad/TT

Handelsbanken joins the ranks of lenders downscaling their physical presence in face of growing digitalisation in the sector.

It said in a statement that it plans to reduce the number of branches in Sweden to 200 from around 380 at present in a bid to cut costs to 20 billion Swedish kronor (1.9 billion euros, $2.3 billion) by the end of 2022.

The closures will affect some 1,000 employees – or one in seven of its domestic workforce – over the next two years, the statement said.

Negotiations were currently under way with trade unions, but Handelsbanken said it would set aside 1.5 billion kronor in its fourth-quarter accounts “to facilitate these adjustments”.

At the same time, the group said it would invest 1.0 billion kronor over the next two years “in order to take its digital customer offering to an entirely new level”.

“We're currently observing that customers are using digital channels and other means to meet up, rather than in our branches,” chief executive Carina Akerstrom told SVT public television.

Unlike its Nordic competitors, Handelsbanken has until now set great store by its bricks-and-mortar presence on the high street.

Rival Swedbank, for example, currently has only 160 branches in Sweden.

In addition to its domestic workforce of 7,000, Handelsbanken also employs 5,000 staff outside Sweden, notably in Britain, Denmark and Finland.

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How to avoid falling victim to tax scams in Sweden

Sweden's tax agency, Skatteverket, warns of an increase in scams when it's time for Swedish tax-payers to declare their taxes.

How to avoid falling victim to tax scams in Sweden

Anyone who earned more than 22,208 kronor last year received their tax returns digitally last week, marking the start of tax season.

That also means an expected peak in tax-related scams, Skatteverket warns.

Most of the scams are so-called phishing scams, meaning attempts to steal the victims’ personal information. Fraudsters may for example email a person, pretending to represent Skatteverket, and ask them for, among other things, their banking details.

“We’re seeing these in all channels. They use fake emails, SMS, letters and in some cases even phone calls. It is particularly common in tax declaration times – just when we’re about to send out the tax returns, the e-service opens and it’s possible to declare – but above all when it’s time for tax rebates,” Jan Janowski, a Skatteverket expert, told Swedish news agency TT.

A scam email might for example state that you’re entitled to a tax rebate and that you should click a link to receive it. Don’t click any links, open any attachments or reply to the message. Skatteverket advises that you immediately delete the email or text message.

Another common scam is that you receive a text message claiming to be from Skatteverket, telling you that you owe them money and you need to log in to calculate the amount. The website you’re urged to log in via does not belong to Skatteverket. Don’t click the link.

The agency stresses that it never asks people for their banking details. The exception is that you may be asked for your bank account information if you log into Skatteverket’s website to declare your taxes, but that always first requires you to log into the site.

To receive your tax rebate, you need to inform Skatteverket of your bank account number. You do this not by clicking a link in an email or SMS, but by logging into their website using a digital ID, for example BankID, and submitting your details. Only do this on your own initiative. If someone calls you and asks you to log in with your BankID during the phone call, don’t do it. That’s another common scam.

Skatteverket will also never call you to ask for your bank account or credit card number.

It will be possible to declare your taxes from March 19th. You’ll receive any tax rebate you’re owed by mid-April or early June, depending on when you submit your tax return. These are the dates when fraudsters are likely to attempt the most scams.

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