Total assets of Handelsbanken 2009-2021

The value of Handelsbanken’s total assets increased overall during the period consideredt. The bank’s assets value fluctuated from 2009 to 2015, but increased steadily in the following years, reaching the highest value of more than 3.34 trillion Swedish kronor in 2021. This makes Handelsbanken the largest bank in Sweden, followed by SEB and Swedbank.

Handelsbanken’s position on the Swedish market

   Handelsbanken was also the bank in Sweden which held the highest share of loans. In 2018, the bank held 22 percent of the total bank loans in the country, followed closely by Swedbank, which held 21 percent, and then by SEB, which held 15 percent of the loans. Handelsbanken, however, was not the leading bank for large corporations in Sweden as of 2022. This position was held by SEB, with a market penetration rate of 82 percent. Handelsbanken was the third leading bank for large corporations and had a market penetration rate of 66 percent.

Handelsbanken’s cost/income ratio

   Cost/income ratio is a standard measure to gauge the profitability of a bank and is calculated by dividing operating expenses by operating income. Handelsbanken’s cost/income ratio was relatively stable during the period from 2009 to 2021 but was generally lower during the years from 2014 to 2017, before it started to increase. In 2021, the bank’s cost/income ratio was 45.8 percent, which was a sharp decline compared to the previous year.