STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Jan. 28, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- 3.3 million of Nordea's (Other OTC:NRDAF) (Stockholm:NDA) customers use Internet-banking services. Personal customers make 38% of their payments via Internet. Around 3% of payments are made in the branches.
Nordea reached its targets for Internet banking services last year, with the number of e-customers rising to 3.3 million, 104 million log-ons and over 121 million payments. Log-ons rose by around 23 million from 2001, as did payments by 24 million.
"We aim to have 3.7 million customers this year," said Bo Harald, Head of Electronic Banking, who also confirms that corporate customers now benefit from the increased use of Internet-based services by personal customers. "E-invoice exemplifies this well, since it is easy to use and saves the invoicing company money."
Bo Harald believes that Internet payments this year will reach 150 million, and estimates that log-ons will reach 120 million. He is also pleased that the number of equity investors exceeded 300,000 in November, despite the difficult market conditions. The share of realised Internet transactions grew to 70% in November.
In Denmark, Nordea has 430,000 e-customers, an increase of almost 70,000 since last year. Banking via Internet has grown strongly in Denmark, with the number of online payments growing by a third since 2001. Denmark's expansion in this area exceeded all of the Nordea countries. Almost half of Nordea's online-equities-trading customers are Danish. In Denmark there are 115 merchants on the Solo Market with a further 89 signed up for the direct e-payment service, and the number of visitors has increased steadily.
In Finland, Nordea has 1.2 million e-customers (up by 70,000 from 2001). In 2002 there were over 43 million log-ons (up 7 million) and more than 54 million payments (up 8 million). Overall, Nordea's online services have gained greatest popularity among Finnish customers. Nordea's pan-Nordic electronic marketplace, Solo Market, hosts 400 Finnish merchants with a further 850 signed up for the direct e-payment service. By the end of 2002, visitors to the market were up by 50% on the previous year, and e-payment purchases rose by around 70%.
In Norway, the share of Nordea's Internet customers is increasing faster in relative terms than in the other Nordic countries. Online customers numbered 250,000 at the end of the year, a 40% increase from the previous year. Online services are popular in Norway: half of payments by personal customers are made online. Shopping by Internet, which is already well established in the other Nordic countries, is becoming increasingly popular in Norway. Nordea's pan-Nordic electronic marketplace currently has only a few Norwegian merchants, but the number of visitors is stable. Secure e-payments are gaining prevalence.
Nordea has almost 1.4 million online customers in Sweden, and gained a further 170,000 last year. Online banking services have expanded faster than in the other Nordic countries. During the year, Swedish customers made 31 million log-ons, (up 9 million) and transacted 44 million payments (up 10 million on 2001). There are 151 Swedish merchants on Nordea's Solo Market with a further 221 signed up for the direct e-payment service. Among Nordic customers, the Swedes do the most online shopping, and Christmas sales reached record levels last year. Secure e-payments climbed 20% in the last six months.
For further information:
Bo Harald, Head of Electronic Banking +358 9 165 42256, +358 50 64 101 Liisa Laine, Media Relations +358 9 165 42655
Nordea is the leading financial services group in the Nordic and Baltic Sea region and operates through three business areas: Retail Banking, Corporate and Institutional Banking and Asset Management & Life. The Nordea Group has more than 10 million customers and 1,288 bank branches. The Nordea Group is a world leader in Internet banking, with 3.3 million e-customers. The Nordea share is listed in Stockholm, Helsinki and Copenhagen.
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