Nordea Bank Sveriges Pensionsstiftelse

Background and purpose

The purpose of the foundation is to secure pension commitments issued by Nordea Bank Abp, filial i Sverige and by other Swedish companies and branches in the Nordea Group. The foundation serves as collateral for the pension obligations borne by these companies and branches. 

The responsibility for the pension commitments rests with the employer that promised the pension. Thus, the foundation does not assume this responsibility or pay out any pensions. The employer has the right to ask the foundation to pay compensation for costs and provisions for pensions. This is regulated in the Safeguarding of Pension Commitments, etc. Act (SFS 1967:531).

The purpose of the foundation is achieved by the foundation managing funds assigned to it by the employers to secure their pension obligations. The aim of the asset management is to ensure a stable and positive long-term development of the Foundation’s assets so that they constitute good collateral for the pension obligations secured in the Foundation. 

One form of investment made by the foundation is in funds encompassing equities issued by companies in the EEA (European Economic Area) that are traded on a regulated market. More information about the foundation’s management and investment profile can be found under the heading Investment strategy below.

Nordea Bank Sweden’s Pension Foundation provides this information in accordance with the  the Safeguarding of Pension Commitments, etc. Act (SFS 1967:531) and applicable regulations from the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority.

The Foundation’s financial position 

The foundation has a sound financial position. More detailed information about the foundation’s financial position can be found in its most recent annual report (pdf, 3 MB).

Principles for shareholder engagement

The foundation has engaged Nordea Investment Management (NIM) to manage the Foundation’s investments in accordance with the principle of discretionary management. This means that NIM continuously makes decisions about the foundation’s investments within the framework of the agreement. 

NIM instructs Nordea Funds Ltd (NF), Nordea Investment Funds S.A. (NIFSA) and Nordea Alternative Strategies Fund S.A., SICAV-RAIF (NAS) to manage the funds included in the foundation’s portfolios. NF, NIFSA and NAS apply their own internal rules and practices concerning active ownership in their shareholder engagement activities, in which they represent all owners of the funds, including the foundation.  

Against this background, the foundation does not conduct any engagement activities on its own, and it is thus not relevant for the foundation to adopt its own policy for shareholder engagement. 

Further information about the engagement activities carried out in relation to the funds managed by NF and NIFSA can be found here

Investment strategy 

The aim of the foundation’s investments is to secure the long-term pension obligations in a satisfying way and at the same time create opportunities to improve the financial position. 

The foundation has adopted an investment strategy which makes it possible for the portfolio as a whole to generate a good return over the medium to long term, given that the pension commitments, for which the Foundation represents collateral, run for a long time. The objective is that the return will exceed the financing cost of the commitments by one to two percentage points per year over the long term. To be able to reach the target return, some risk exposure in the relationship between the portfolio and the pension obligations is necessary.

The investment strategy (including the equity investment strategy) builds on the principles of matching, diversification and portfolio investments. 

  • The matching principle means that foundation’s portfolio is invested in such a way as to make it possible to achieve the return objective. 
  • The diversification principle entails that the portfolio encompasses a spread of different asset classes, markets, sectors etc., with the aim of minimising the effect of individual events among the portfolio’s holdings. 
  • The portfolio investment principle means that the portfolio may contain assets which on their own may been seen as risky, but which in the context of being part of the portfolio have characteristics which mean that the matching and diversification principles are adhered to.

More detailed information about the foundation’s investment strategy can be found in the investment guidelines (pdf, 264 KB).

Agreement with asset manager 

According to the agreement with NIM, the foundation receives regular written reports regarding the portfolio’s development, its contents and other matters. In addition, NIM regularly attends the foundation’s board meetings, where NIM presents the portfolio’s development and reports on any relevant market events and market prospects which can potentially affect the portfolio in both the short and long term. 

The agreement with NIM applies until further notice, with the possibility for both parties to terminate the agreement after observing a certain period of notice.

The fee which NIM receives for the assignment is based on the market value of the foundation’s portfolio. The fee involves a performance-based reimbursement component in that an increase in the portfolio’s value results in an increase in the fee. Thus, NIM has an incentive to work to ensure that the portfolio develops positively in the long-term.  

The portfolio’s return after the deduction of transaction costs forms the basis of the foundation’s assessment of how NIM has performed its assignment. In this way, the foundation monitors NIM’s costs for the portfolio’s turnover.

The foundation does not monitor the portfolio’s intended turnover rate or limits on the turnover rate. The reason for this is that the foundation instead evaluates NIM’s return after deduction of transaction costs. 

The foundation’s follow-up and evaluation of NIM’s assignment, together with the foundation’s possibility to terminate the agreement, encourages NIM to base its investment decisions on assessments of the portfolio companies’ results, in order to ensure that the portfolio gives as good a return as is possible. In the same way, the agreement encourages NIM to engage in the portfolio companies with the aim of improving their results.

Sustainability risk policy

This policy provides the principles and the overall rules for the management and control of sustainability risk in the foundation. 

The foundation strives to contribute to the transition towards a sustainable future by investments into sustainable solutions and activities that are creating positive, measurable and sustainable impacts on society while simultaneously delivering attractive returns. The Foundation believes that including sustainability risks in the investment decision-making process can enhance the risk-adjusted returns of the investments, both by mitigating long-term sustainability risks and potentially creating values finding sustainably attractive investments.

Sustainability risk means an environmental, social or governance (ESG) event or condition that, if it occurs, could cause a negative material impact on the value of the investment.

Since the foundation does not directly manage its own assets, sustainability risk related issues are primarily handled by the external asset manager Nordea Investment Management AB (NIM). The foundation requires that the asset manager integrates sustainability risks in the investment decision-making process when building and monitoring portfolios and international ESG conventions and norms are to be considered in investment analysis, decision-making processes and governance. 

Investments are carried out in accordance with the Nordea Asset Management (NAM) Responsible Investment Policy, which means that in those funds where the policy applies (actively managed funds and enhanced index funds), ESG considerations are integrated in the investment process. Baseline safeguards are also deployed through NAM's Responsible Investment Policy, which bans investments in companies active in the production of illegal or nuclear weapons and companies with exposure to coal mining exceeding a predefined threshold. Moreover, NIM also manage a Private Equity portfolio on behalf of the Foundation. NIM’s Private Equity team considers ESG risks when selecting Private Equity funds and also target funds with measurable sustainable impact. 

No consideration of adverse impacts of investment decisions on sustainability factors

The foundation does not considers principal adverse impacts (PAIs) of investment decisions on sustainability factors under article 4.1 (b) of the SFDR1. To consider such impacts and to produce a statement on due diligence policies with respect to such impacts according to the SFDR and the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1288, would be disproportion­ately burdensome for the foundation, taking due account of the size, the nature and scale of the foundation’s activities.

However, the asset manager considers principal adverse impacts of investment decisions on sustainability factors and publishes and maintains on its website a statement on due diligence policies with respect to those impacts. The information provided by the asset manager, which concerns the foundation’s investments, may also be considered by the foundation.

Further, sustainability risks are integrated in the investment decision-making process as described above. . 

Remuneration policy

The remuneration principles set out in this Policy have been determined in light of the foundation’s activities, risk profile, goals, long-term interests, financial stability and results as a whole. The long-term interests of the persons whose pension benefits are secured through the foundation have also been considered.

The foundation’s main activity is to secure pension commitments for entities in the Nordea Group. For this purpose, the foundation manages a portfolio of assets with the aim to generate a good and stable return over the medium to long term, given that the pension commitments secured by the foundation run for a long time. The foundation’s risk profile does not leave room for investments or activities which would jeopardize the foundation’s ability to maintain its long-term investment strategy.

In light of the above, the remuneration principles adopted by the foundation shall ensure that remuneration is paid in reasonable amounts, that predominantly fixed remuneration is used, that variable remuneration is paid only if deemed appropriate in order to secure a proper implementation of the foundation’s investment strategy, and that sound and effective risk management with respect to sustainability risks is promoted. Variable remuneration may not incentivise risk-taking, which is excessive in light of the foundation’s investment strategy, or with respect to sustainability risks, or which create a conflict of interest in relation to the Foundation or persons whose pension benefits are secured through the foundation.

The external asset manager NIM considers sustainability risk when setting targets and evaluating performance in their variable remuneration pay schemes. All employees on variable pay scheme are measured against both qualitative as well as quantitative targets suitable for their position and tasks. All employees have performance goals linked to risk and compliance performance, including sustainability risk, which require adherence to high standards. For more information please refer to NIM’s disclosure on integration of sustainability risks in remuneration.

The foundation has no employees and no salaries are paid.

The foundation does not pay any remuneration to its Board members.https://www.nordeaassetmanagement.com/legal-documents-and-policies#

Remuneration for work which is carried out for the foundation under an outsourcing agreement shall be aligned with market practice. The outsourcing agreement shall include terms which clearly govern the remuneration payable under the agreement.

In order to avoid conflicts of interest the Board member may not participate in the proceedings or decisions in which the Board member directly or indirectly has his own interest. 

 

[1] Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on sustainability‐related disclosures in the financial services sector

More information

Individuals whose pension is secured by the Foundation are entitled to receive the following information:

  • The above information on paper
  • A copy of the Foundation’s articles of association
  • A copy of the Foundation’s most recent annual report
  • A copy of the Foundation’s investment guidelines

Please contact the Foundation if you would like to receive the above-mentioned documents.

 

Contacts

Board of Directors contact

The Foundation is under the supervision of the County Administrative Board of Stockholm and the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority. The Foundation is registered in Sweden and has its registered office in Stockholm.

Tel:

+46 10-1569335

E-mail: 

fredrik.hardling [at] nordea.com (fredrik[dot]hardling[at]nordea[dot]com)

Address:

c/o Nordea, Smålandsgatan 15-17, H60, Fredrik Härdling, SE-105 71 Stockholm

 

Foundation administrator

Tel: 

+46 (0)101 57 1863

E-mail:

anders.brink [at] nordea.com (anders[dot]brink[at]nordea[dot]com)

Address:

c/o Nordea, Mäster Samuelsgatan 17-21, M514, Anders Brink, SE-105 71 Stockholm