Aktia Bank Plc Annual and Sustainability Report 2019
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Annual and Sustainability Report 2019 Aktia Bank Plc Mannerheimintie 14, PO Box 207, 00101 Helsinki Business ID: 2181702-8 www.aktia.com Annual and Sustainability Report 2019 is a translation of the original Swedish version Års- och hållbarhetsredovisning 2019. In case of discrepancies, the Swedish version shall prevail. Strategy: Growth in asset management as well as new customers 16 in the growing cities in Finland 6 CEO’s comments: A strong challenger mindset drives Aktia boldly forwards 28 Responsibility: Corporate responsibility is a crucial aspect of Business areas: Aktia is a close Aktia’s operations advisor and the customer’s best in the short term 18 partner in financial matters and the long term Contents Responsible Aktia 28 Corporate responsibility management and good governance 29 Corporate responsibility programme guides our sustainability work 30 The UN Sustainable Development Themes guide Aktia’s activities 31 Aktia’s stakeholder collaboration 35 Solvent and reliable Aktia 37 A partner for economic well-being 40 Heading for a better working life 44 An environmentally responsible actor 49 Responsible procurement 53 Reporting principles 54 Aktia’s corporate responsibility management themes and indicators 56 About Aktia 5 GRI content index 59 A strong challenger mindset drives Aktia boldly forwards 6 Aktia in brief 8 Report by the Board of Directors 61 Highlights of the year 2019 10 Report by the Board of Directors 62 Aktia as an investment – stable and responsible value creation 12 Non-financial report 2019 88 Information for shareholders 14 Growth in asset management as well as new customers in the growing cities in Finland 16 Financial Statement 95 Aktia Bank Plc – consolidated financial statements 98 Business areas 18 Aktia Bank Plc – parent company`s financial statement 174 Business areas and reporting business segments 19 Signing of the Report by the Board of Directors and the Financial statements 2019 206 Private customers closely involved with the development of services 20 Auditor’s Report to the Annual General Meeting of Aktia Bank Plc 207 Aktia stays close to corporate customers’ everyday business 22 Asset management in focus in Aktia’s operations 24 Corporate Governance Report 211 Life insurance as a foundation for financial security 26 Corporate Governance Report for Aktia Bank Plc 212 About Aktia Aktia is a Finnish asset manager, bank and life insurer that has been creating wealth and well-being from one generation to the next for 200 years. About Aktia | Business areas | Responsible Aktia | Report by the Board of Directors | Financial Statement | Corporate Governance Report Annual and Sustainability Report 2019 6 CEO’S COMMENTS A strong challenger mindset drives Aktia boldly forwards In 2019, Aktia had its sights set firmly on the future. For us, this In 2019, Aktia had its sights set firmly on the future. For In line with the updated strategy for the period until 2023, meant updating our financial us, this meant updating our financial targets and strategy, Aktia is now seeking an even stronger growth in asset targets and strategy, thereby thereby carrying out major renewal and reorganising our management and new private and corporate customers in operations. At the same time, we kept costs well under Finland’s growing cities. We will make our award-winning carrying out major renewal and control and earnings on track; the strong growth in asset asset management expertise more widely available to our reorganising our operations. management was particularly pleasing. Customers also customer base in Finland and abroad while diversifying our acknowledged the good work we have done. In the EPSI product selection. Examples of this include the successful customer satisfaction survey in September, Aktia made the launch of the new high-yield corporate bond fund in October biggest improvement among private customers. and the structured products that we have offered to our customers since the beginning of 2020. A shift in consumption behaviour motivated the redesigned service model Growth in asset management The internationalisation of Aktia’s institutional asset management gathered pace during the past year. The value Real changes are taking place in the financial services Aktia held a Capital Markets Day in September 2019, when of assets under management in fixed-income funds offered sector, the operating environment and customer behaviour, it updated its strategy and financial targets. The strategy to international customers was EUR 1.9 billion at the end of forcing banks to rethink their businesses. That includes supports Aktia’s growth targets, and it will drive the the year, representing growth of 68 per cent year-on-year. us. Last autumn, we redesigned our customer service company towards its vision of being “The good bank. Aktia Asset Management is already a success story that we model in conjunction with our strategy update process, and And a great asset manager”. can all be proud of. This is a good position for us to be in as co-operation negotiations took place as a part of this. As a we head for even better results. consequence, 92 jobs were reduced and 50 new positions About Aktia | Business areas | Responsible Aktia | Report by the Board of Directors | Financial Statement | Corporate Governance Report Annual and Sustainability Report 2019 7 Our significant achievements in the past year also included preparing a climate policy, green procurement guidelines, suppliers’ ethical code of conduct and corporate responsibility risk analysis. We have also begun proactively building a WWF Green Office environmental management system. This will be used in the Group’s new headquarters, where we will move in late 2020. Climate change and increasingly stringent regulations in areas such as sustainable finance are trends that will require a response from our sector in the future. However, responsible investment and lending will also lead to new business opportunities and support Aktia’s updated strategy. We aim to be prepared to satisfy our stakeholders’ expectations, develop a dialogue on corporate responsibility and further integrate corporate responsibility into our business in the future. We also want to help Finnish people to take responsibility for their futures by saving and investing more. According to a research by Statistics Finland, Finnish people are more likely to spend their disposable income on gambling than investing. I find this particularly worrying. For example, people should see their first home above all as an investment – not just a debt. It is time to do away with the mindset that people with mortgages can think of nothing more than clearing their debt. In conclusion, I would like to thank our customers, owners became available. In addition, 18 branches were merged Responsibility for the future and other stakeholders for a good year in 2019. I would with other branches. The productive activities of customer equally like to thank every Aktia employee for their valuable service and sales were also rearranged. The development of Aktia’s corporate responsibility was efforts and adaptability in this dynamic era of constant one of the most important goals in the past year. We aim renewal. I have complete faith in you. The aim of redesigning the customer service model is to to be a solvent, reliable and environmentally responsible combine new types of meeting points, designed in accordance partner for economic well-being and the most attractive Our evolution will continue, and a strong challenger mindset with customer needs, with the opportunities presented by a workplace in the business. In 2019, we updated our will drive Aktia boldly forwards. constantly evolving range of digital services, thereby enabling corporate responsibility indicators, prepared an action plan services such as Aktia’s award-winning asset management to for the next five-year period and selected UN sustainable Mikko Ayub be made available to everyone in Finland. development themes and goals to guide our operations. CEO About Aktia | Business areas | Responsible Aktia | Report by the Board of Directors | Financial Statement | Corporate Governance Report Annual and Sustainability Report 2019 8 Aktia in brief Key figures 31 December 2019 270,000 100,000 750 9.7 EUR billion 36,000 Private customers Insurance policies Employees Balance sheet total Shareholders 20,000 51% 45/55 9.9 EUR billion 650 EUR million Corporate and smaller carbon footprint of our own Gender distribution of Customer assets under Market cap institutional customers funds compared with reference market top management (W% / M%) management (AuM) Business areas Forms of service Aktia is a Finnish asset manager, Private customers Corporate customers Self-service bank and life insurer that has been We provide private customers with We are a financial advisory partner to Aktia Wallet creating wealth and well-being comprehensive banking and financing our corporate customers, and we strive Online bank from one generation to the next for services, the best investment advice to enhance the company’s opportunities Mobile bank 200 years. We serve our customers services and full-service asset for success and the owners’ financial in digital channels everywhere management. well-being. General advising Chat on website and face-to-face in our offices Social media in the Helsinki, Turku, Tampere, Asset management Life insurance Vaasa and Oulu regions. Our We offer award-winning, best-in-class In addition to life insurance, disability Personal service asset management services and investment insurance and severe illness cover, we Telephone award-winning asset management products to institutional and private provide private individuals and companies Net meeting business sells investment funds customers in Finland and internationally. with long-term saving solutions. Branch offices internationally. The legal structure of Aktia Group Aktia Bank Plc 100% Aktia Life 100% Aktia Fund 76% Aktia Asset 100% Aktia * Aktia Asset Management will become a wholly-owned Is listed in Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd Insurance Ltd Management Company Ltd Management Ltd* Finance Ltd subsidiary of Aktia Bank by the end of the first quarter of 2020.