Banking innovation

Nordea is a founder factory for Nordic fintech companies

Nordea has been named the leading “founder factory” for fintech companies in the Nordics, as highlighted in the newly released Nordic Fintech Report 2024 by Copenhagen Fintech.

Startup company

The Nordic Fintech Report 2024 provides a detailed overview of the current Nordic fintech ecosystem, evaluating startups, categories, trends, technologies, investments, and founders. The organisation behind the report is Copenhagen Fintech, a non-profit innovation hub dedicated to fostering financial sector innovation.

In the report, Nordea is named as a “founder factory” and ranked as the number 1 institution to produce fintech entrepreneurs in the Nordic region.

Anders Nicander, Head of One Digital.

“We are proud to be the financial institution that produces the most fintech founders. At Nordea, we believe in innovation, continuous learning, and personal development, so our employees have the resources and confidence to excel in their careers”, says Anders Nicander, Head of One Digital.

Nordea’s cross-functional teams and agile ways of working nurture a culture where talents can thrive.

“By combining IT development with deep business and customer insight, we have fostered many talents who not only succeed in technology but also have a profound knowledge of the financial landscape across the Nordics”, Anders Nicander continues.

“By combining IT development with deep business and customer insight, we have fostered many talents who not only succeed in technology but also have a profound knowledge of the financial landscape across the Nordics. 

Supporting startups in the ecosystem

As the largest financial institution in the Nordics, Nordea plays a pivotal role in the Nordic fintech ecosystem. Nordea’s community engagement work includes supporting startups and enabling entrepreneurship – fostering growth, creating jobs, attracting investments, and shaping the financial industry for the benefit of customers and economies. 

Nordea’s Startups & Growth unit serves high-growth companies and those in their early stages looking for rapid growth.

Vesa Riihimäki, Head of Startup and Growth Finland.

“Nordea is an important partner for Nordic startups and growth companies. We can support their growth by offering non-dilutive financing, and we have a great network that we use to attract world’s largest venture capital funds to meet Nordic startups. For example, our investor speed dating events have been successful in matching growth companies with the right investors”, says Vesa Riihimäki, Head of Startup and Growth Finland.

And sometimes, as part of the dynamic ecosystem, Nordea integrates innovative solutions of fintech companies into its own digital development – enabling mutual growth and success.

“We focus on creating partnerships that really match our specific needs in our digital journey and complement our value proposition. Collaborating with a fintech company can elevate our customer experience even further”, concludes Anders Nicander.

Meet Nordea One Digital and Business Banking at Nordic FinTech week 2024.

Banking innovation
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