Who we are
NFU is a lobbying organisation that promotes the interests of employees in the Nordic financial sector.
NFU represents seven trade unions in the bank, finance and insurance sectors in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.
We are the voice of 150 000 employees
Promoting Nordic financial trade unions' interests in the EU
5
Countries
7
Trade Unions
k
150k
Workers
102
Years
EU Advocacy
Representing Nordic financial trade unions’ interests in the EU
Policy and Research
Supporting research and analysing key trends in the financial sector
Social Dialogue
Coordinate the participation in the Sectoral Social Dialogues
News
News
NFU Press Release: NFU opposes a fast-tracked legislative procedure for the EU Omnibus Proposals
The Nordic Financial Unions-NFU General Secretary, Carin Hallerström expressed serious concerns regarding the European People’s Party (EPP) desire for a fast-track decision under Article 170 of the European Parliament’s Rules of Procedure for the Omnibu...
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Vacancy: Director for Financial Regulation to UNI Europa
UNI Europa, the European services workers union, together with the Nordic Financial Unions, is recruiting a Director for Financial Regulation in Brussels. UNI Europa represents its member unions in the European services sectors and NFU builds cooperatio...
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International Women’s Day: Nordic Financial Unions Push for Change
This Saturday, March 8, marks International Women’s Day, a global occasion to celebrate women’s achievements, recognise their rights, and address the persistent challenges of gender inequality. Under this year’s international theme, “Accelerate Action,”...
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NFU Joins EU-funded Project to Explore AI in the Financial Sector
Last week, Nordic Financial Unions (NFU) participated in the first steering committee meeting of an EU-funded project titled Anthropocentric Approach to Artificial Intelligence. The meeting, held in Athens, marked the beginning of what could become an i...
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NFU Press Release on the future of the Capital Markets Union
NFU’s General Secretary, Carin Hallerström, responded to yesterday’s public hearing by the European Parliament’s ECON committee on the future of the Capital Markets Union (CMU). The hearing featured Enrico Letta and Christian Noyer, wh...
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Greenfin Project Concludes with Insights on Sustainable Finance
The Greenfin project, an initiative examining the financial sector’s role in driving the green transition, wrapped up last week with a final conference in Bergamo, Italy. Launched in August 2022, the project’s driving idea stems from the recogniti...
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NFU Press Release on the New European Commission
Parliament has now confirmed all 26 Commissioners following hearings and a package deal. This decision contrasts with the European Parliament’s traditional scrutiny of proposed Commissioners, which routinely resulted in individual blockages of candidate...
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NFU Explores AI and the Future of Work at Oslo Conference
The Nordic Finance Unions recently hosted a two-day conference on the role of Artificial Intelligence in the workplace. Held in Oslo on November 18–19, the event brought together 50 participants from across the Nordic countries, including shop stewards,...
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NFU Press Release on the Confirmation hearing of Commissioner-designate Albuquerque
“In a world of uncertainty, we Europeans must strengthen and enlarge our Capital Markets and Banking Union to stay a serious partner in this new world’s economy”, analysed Carin Hallerström, NFU’s General Secretary, after the con...
Blog
The Unfinished Chapter: Why the European Deposit Insurance Scheme Remains Elusive After Nine Years
Imagine a Europe where no matter where you bank, your savings are equally protected. This was the vision when the European Union first proposed the European Deposit Insurance Scheme (EDIS) in 2015, a critical component of the Banking Union. The goal was...
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NFU Celebrates Key Appointments to European Supervisory Authorities Stakeholder Groups
Nordic Financial Union (NFU) is proud to announce that Anna-Delia Papenberg, NFU’s EU Coordinator, has been appointed as a member of the European Banking Authority’s (EBA)
Photography taken by Elisa Sanvito
The BSG is a key advisory group...
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NFU Renews Sponsorship for New Phase of Nordic Finance and the Good Society
Nordic Financial Unions is excited to announce its renewed funding of the Nordic Finance and the Good Society research project led by the Center for Corporate Governance at Copenhagen Business School. This latest phase introduces five cutting-edge resea...
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European Banking Sector Social Partners Unite to Sign Historic Joint Declaration on AI
In a historic move, trade unions and the banking sector in the EU signed a joint declaration in Brussels on May 14th. This declaration empowers workers to have a seat at the bargaining table in every stage of artificial intelligence’s decision-making an...
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NFU and Partners Held Dynamic Panel Events in April to Foster Dialogue Ahead of the European Election
In the wake of the upcoming European Parliament election scheduled for 6-9 June, the need for candidates who persistently uphold democratic values has never been more pronounced. Recognising the gravity of this electoral moment, Nordic Financial Unions,...
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NFU Press Release: CSDDD approved by Parliament, awaits Council’s formal endorsement
Yesterday, in a pivotal decision, the European Parliament approved the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), advancing corporate accountability for human rights and environmental impacts. NFU—Nordic Financial Unions, which represents...
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Nordic Day: Highlighting the Nordic Model and Celebrating 70 Years of Common Nordic Labour Market
Tomorrow, March 23, marks Nordic Day, an important day worth celebrating. This year also marks the 70th anniversary of the common Nordic labour market, which is the region’s cornerstone.
At the core of the Nordic identity lies the Nordic mode...
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NFU on International Women’s Day: Bridging gaps and breaking barriers
As we approach International Women’s Day, it is a crucial time to reflect on the strides made towards gender equality in the Nordic financial sector, as well as the significant journey that still lies ahead. Despite being global leaders in gender equali...
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NFU Press Release: CSDDD – failed vote at the Council
On 14 December 2023, the Parliament and Council reached a preliminary agreement on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). Following Germany’s threat to abstain, weakening EU support on 6 February 2024, the final draft issued on 30...
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NFU Participated in the Greenfin Conference in Dublin
The NFU secretariat had the privilege of participating in an interesting conference for the GreenFin project in February, where NFU stands as one of the associate partners. The project is EU-funded and is being run by First CICL Italy together with Adap...
Blog
From bright to olive green, the EU shifts its focus
These days, Brussels’ political priorities are increasingly shifting from green transition efforts to bolstering our defences. As the EU institutions go into election mode, the focus of the past four years on making Europe the global leader of green and...
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NFU Press Release: Nordics shall say YES to CSDDD
Nordic countries side with Germany and leave the survival of the first European sustainability law to the Italian government.
Today, 9 February 2024, the Corporate Due Diligence Directive’s negotiated final text is being voted on in the Council,...
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NFU stands in solidarity with the political strikes in Finland
Trade Union Pro, NFU’s Finnish affiliate, along with several Finnish trade unions, are holding political strikes on February 1 and 2. These strikes extend across multiple sectors, including the financial sector. The Nordic Financial Unions stand in soli...
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Stephani Perera appointed as interim EU Coordinator
We are thrilled to welcome Stephani Perera to the NFU team in Stockholm as the interim EU Coordinator. She will assist NFU during Anna-Delia Papenberg´s parental leave.
Stephani holds a degree in history and political science, as well as a ma...
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CSDDD trialogue concluded: a missed opportunity for the finance sector
Today, the European Parliament and Council reached a provisional agreement on new due diligence rules, CSDDD, obliging firms to integrate their human rights and environmental impacts into their management systems.
NFU General Secretary, Carin Hal...
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NFU Press Release: On the status quo on the negotiations of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive
During yesterday’s fourth trilogue negotiations between Member States and the European Parliament on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), Parliament’s negotiation team, under the lead MEP Lara Wolters, refused to succumb to Coun...
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NFU publishes position paper on the Retail Investment Strategy
NFU is today publishing a position paper on Retail Investment Strategy on the proposed changes to Directive 2014/65/EU on Markets in Financial Instruments (MiFID). In this paper, NFU highlights the opportunities, risks, and challenges with the proposed...
Blog
European Green Bond Standards pass in Parliament
The European Parliamant and the European Council are in the final process of reaching an agreement on the Green Bonds Standards. The regulation aims to create a voluntary standard available to all issuers to help finance sustainable investments and comb...
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NFU söker EU Coordinator
NFU söker en EU Coordinator för ett vikariat till sekretariatet i Stockholm. Om du har viss erfarenhet av arbete med EU-reglering, analys och är bra på att bygga goda relationer vill vi gärna höra från dig.
NFU – Nordic Financial Unions är en n...
News
NFU took part in Finansforbundet Denmark´s Congress
NFUs General Secretary Carin Hallerström joined 200 delegates in Finansforbundet Denmark last week for their Landsmøte (Congress) In Nyborg. There were inspiring days with great speeches from many committed trade union representatives.
The Co...
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NFU Press Release: State of the European Union (SOTEU) address 2023 – 90% of political agenda achieved
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has delivered her fourth State of the European Union (SOTEU) address on 13 September 2023. While not directly revealing her plan to stay another term the speech was a campaign speech. Assertively, she t...
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NFU attends UNI Global Union Congress in Philadelphia
Currently, representatives from unions worldwide are gathering in Philadelphia for the 6th UNI Global Union Conferences to establish priorities and elect new leadership for the next four years. NFUs President Michael Budolfsen, General Secretary Carin H...
Blog
Implementation briefing to go – IRRD Solvency II
This briefing is intended to give a first analysis of the European Parliament’s overview over the European Parliament’s ECON committee negotiation position regarding the reform of prudential rules for insurance companies, known as Solvency II. The way i...
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Implementation briefing to go – Consumer Credit Directive
This briefing is intended to give an overview over new regulation from the EU and help you to grasp what changes it will bring and how the legislative proposal has evolved over time. This briefing is about the Revision of the Consumer Credit Directive (...
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The Digital Euro: Pioneering the Future of Currency
In the era of digital advancements, central banks worldwide are exploring the possibilities of creating their own digital currencies, known as CBDCs. Among these pioneering initiatives is the development of the digital euro by the European Central Bank...
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NFU Celebrated 100 Years with an Anniversary Conference
At the end of June, NFU arranged an Anniversary Conference to celebrate 100 years. Surrounded by stunning nature, this significant milestone took place at the beautiful Majvik Congress in Finland. The atmosphere was bubbly and cheerful, and with the slo...
News
Elvira Skagerlind is the new Policy Advisor at NFU
We are thrilled to welcome Elvira Skagerlind to the NFU team in Stockholm as new Policy Advisor. Elvira has a great enthusiasm for EU politics, advocacy and policy work and specialised in this area during her Master’s degree. She is a strong admirer and...
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NFU Press Release: Retail Investment Package Published – “The ban remains on the table”
European Commissioner for financial services, financial stability, and the Capital Markets Union, Mairead McGuinness unveiled today the long-awaited Retail Investment Strategy concluding the Capital Markets Union Action Plan from 2019.
NFU welcome...
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NFU celebrating 100 years of Nordic cooperation
Today is ”Nordens dag”, a day to highlight and celebrate the cooperation between the Nordic countries. The cooperation between the Nordic countries and actors within it is strong and has a long history. The Nordic Council of Ministers is an important ac...
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NFU söker Policy Advisor
NFU – Nordic Financial Unions är en nordisk påverkansorganisation med sju medlemsförbund inom finans och försäkring. Vi företräder närmare 150 000 medlemmar och bidrar till en långsiktigt hållbar finanssektor med goda förutsättningar för både anställda...
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NFU launches its first take on Open Finance Framework
Today, NFU publishes its first analysis of the Open Finance Framework, challenges and opportunities. This upcoming legislative proposal was already foreseen for summer 2022, and is postponed until 2023. NFU anticipates the publication with great expecat...
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NFU analysis – European Commission communication on strengthening EU social dialogue
Last week, the European Commission launched actions to strengthen social dialogue at national and EU levels. NFU welcomes these initiatives and provides an initial analysis of their impact on the Nordic finance sector.
The Commission released its...
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Skills and competences: the key for a prospering and secure finance sector
Sustainable finance and digitalisation have been dominating the finance sector for the last decade and will continue to shape the future of finance. In the middle of this transformation stand finance employees entrusted with a great responsibility to gu...
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NFU Position paper – Artificial Intelligence in the Nordic finance sector
NFU is today publishing a Position paper on Artificial Intelligence in the Nordic finance sector. The paper is addressing the risks, challenges, and opportunities for finance employees connected to AI systems.
The rapid development in the use of A...
Blog
Implementation briefing to go – Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA)
This briefing is intended to give an overview over new regulation from the EU and help you to grasp what changes it will bring and how the legislative proposal has evolved over time. This briefing is about the Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA).
On...
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NFU’s view on a Social taxonomy
As Social Europe and European Economic and Social Committee renew their calls for a social taxonomy, NFU takes the opportunity to reiterate our concerns and demands on a social taxonomy.
The Environmental taxonomy is hanging on the silken thr...
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NFU Press release: New NFU report shows that flexibility in where, when and how work is done is key for financial employees’ wellbeing in hybrid work life
Today, Nordic Financial Unions (NFU) release the report Quality work environment in the Nordic finance sector – employee wellbeing in a post-pandemic world. The report builds on the challenges and opportunities for financial employees in the Nordic coun...
Blog
SOTEU 2022 – Strong on symbolism, weak on substance
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gave her annual State of the Union address on 14 September. It was strong on symbolism but weak on substance—at least for the Nordic and European financial industry and its employees. These are NFU’s takeaways....
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NFU visit Carbfix carbon capture plant
This Tuesday NFU’s Management Board and Secretariat visited the Icelandic company Carbfix, a role model for carbon removal techniques.
Carbfix uses a unique and self-developed method, which takes captured CO2 and turns it into stone, dee...
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NFU Press release: State of the European Union (SOTEU) address 2022 – what’s in it for us?
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will deliver her third State of the European Union (SOTEU) address on 14 September 2022. Last year, the President announced several important policies in the speech many relating to digital, due diligen...
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Anna-Delia Papenberg starts as new EU Coordinator at NFU
NFU is strengthening its regulation and lobbying work and is happy to welcome Anna-Delia Papenberg to the team in Stockholm. Anna-Delia has extensive working experience with EU legislators and law enforcement institutions, such as the European Commissio...
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Apple speeds up move into financial services
One of the latest week’s biggest stories in finance is Apple’s move into Buy now – pay later (BNPL) and lending services. This is the confirmation of rumours having circulated during the last couple of months, that Apple has been moving into cooperation...
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Website for Fintech project
On May 10, Nordic Financial Unions and Uni Europa Finance, together with the University of Gothenburg hosted the final conference of the project How Fintech affects the financial sector and what the effects are on collective bargaining in the European f...
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Brussels Economic Forum – a green and digital transition must be a fair transition
On May 17, I attended the Brussels Economic Forum with approximately 200 other participants. The theme for the annual conference, hosted by the Commission, this year was The future is now: which economy for the next generation? It was very nice to see t...
News
NFU and UNI Europa Finance host final conference in Fintech project
On May 10, Nordic Financial Unions and Uni Europa Finance, together with the University of Gothenburg hosted the final conference of the project How Fintech affects the financial sector and what the effects are on collective bargaining in the European f...
News
NFU welcomes new EU Coordinator to join the team in Stockholm
NFU is strengthening its regulation and lobbying work and is happy to announce the recruitment of Anna-Delia Papenberg to the team in Stockholm.
Anna-Delia has extensive working experience with EU legislators and law enforcement institutions, suc...
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The changing landscape in financial services
The rapid digital development of financial services during the Covid-19 pandemic have enabled Fintech and Big Tech companies to strengthen their position in the financial markets says a new report from the Financial Stability Board. What implications mi...
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Insurance social partners sign landmark agreement on Diversity, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination
Today, the social partners in the Insurance Social dialogue have agreed on adopting a Joint declaration on Diversity, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination.
The agreement is aiming at fostering a culture in the European Insurance sector that is inclusi...
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Gender equality in the finance sector
Today, on International women’s day, I would like to highlight the gender equality in the finance sector. As set out by the NFU vision, “NFU strives to make the financial sectors prosper in a way that is sustainable for employees, companies, consumers a...
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Platform on Sustainable Finance release final report on potential Social taxonomy
Today, the Platform on Sustainable finance released their final report on a Social Taxonomy. The report was presented at a webinar with representatives from the sector, employer organisations, investors, and trade unions. The report and its conclusions...
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Top two EU Priorities 2022
With Covid receding and the new year 2022 in full swing, we take a look at why sustainability and digitalisation are the two main policy priorities for the European Union this year.
Looking at the agenda for the EU institutions for 2022, two topic...
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NFU in 2022 – Three trends to follow
A new year often mean New year’s resolutions. It is the time to look ahead and plan the year to come. This is also the case for NFU, and in this blog you can find what we can call our resolutions for the year. Or at least the three trends and issues tha...
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NFU Launches Infographics on Social agenda in Sustainable Finance
As part of making the social agenda in Sustainable finance more understandable and higher on the political agenda and policy for Nordic Trade Unions, NFU is launching a set of Infographics that highlights the recommendations of the NFU in this area....
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NFU publish position paper about Mainstreaming the Social Agenda in Sustainable Finance
In the next year, work with the social agenda in sustainable finance in the EU will be more prominent than ever, both through new and current initiatives that will be looked at from a social lens. NFU´s Position Paper ´Mainstreaming the Social Agenda in...
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European Banking Social partners sign Joint declaration on Remote work and New technologies
Today, on December 7 2021, the European Banking Social Partners got together in Brussels to sign a Joint Declaration on Remote work and New Technologies. The spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and the constantly increasing use of digitalised systems and pr...
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Big Tech in Finance
Big Tech companies have entered the world of finance. With instant payments, digital currencies and integrated financial services, these companies are becoming a growing player in the sector. What kind of services do these companies provide, what implic...
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Quick recap: Five key take-aways from the Commission´s Work Programme 2022
In my previous blog, I was writing about the State of the Union speech and the reflections that it brings, and today we take a look at the next most-awaited development every autumn – the Commission´s Work Programme for next year.
The Work Progra...
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NFU Position Paper launch: Mainstreaming the Social Agenda in Sustainable Finance
NFU are happy to launch the Position paper Mainstreaming the Social Agenda in Sustainable Finance. The Postion paper aims to highlight how NFU sees the developments in the Social Agenda in Sustainable finance, the value adding role of finance sector emp...
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Report Launch – Coping with compliance: Experiences from 2021
NFU is releasing a follow-up report to the 2018 report Coping with compliance. The aim of the report is to identify the developments in the field of compliance and to see if coping with compliance is still an issue for finance employees. The report is a...
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Press release: Follow-up report on Coping with Compliance
The Nordic Financial Unions has conducted a follow-up report on the 2018 report Coping with Compliance. The aim of the report is to identify the developments in the field of compliance and to see if coping with compliance is still an issue for finance e...
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NFU Conference 2021
This week, NFU arranged the NFU Conference 2021 in Malmö. It was the first physical event arranged by NFU since before the pandemic and you could really feel the buzz in the air when old and new friends met for the first time in forever. The conference...
Blog
The Big Tech lobby
Move fast and break things, a phrase we have all become familiar with in the context of the tech industry. The motto favoured by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, illustrates how most 2000’s era tech companies saw themselves. As innovators who were ahea...
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Reflections from the first Nordic Civil society network
”There can be disagreements in a family, but then you solve them by the kitchen table”, the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Secretary General Paula Lehtomäki made a comparison between a family and the Nordic cooperation in her opening of the first meeting...
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NFU and UNI Europa Finance holds 2nd digital workshop on fintech
On 15 September, the second digital workshop of the EU funded research project on fintech’s impact on the finance sector took place. The project, which is run by NFU, UNI Europa Finance and Gothenburg University, brings together researchers from Sweden,...
Blog
The state of the State of the Union 2021
´September 15th at 09:00´ rings many bells for those who closely follow the EU agenda. It is the time when the President of the European Commission delivers a State of the Union address to the European Parliament, paving the direction of travel for the...
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NFU Webinar – Return to the office: Trends in the finance sector
NFU Webinar – Return to the Office: Trends in the finance sector
Speaker: Louise Luxhøi, Advisor Business Psychology and Corporate Wellbeing Strategies
Panel:Arne Fredrik Håstein, Finansforbundet NorwayEija Laurila, Pro FinlandRikard Nyström, Finansförb...
Blog
NFU reflections on the European Commission’s new proposed legislation on AML/CFT
In the end of July, the European Commission presented their proposal on strengthened legislation on Anti Money Laundering and Countering Terrorism Financing (AML/CFT) rules. The proposed legislation includes both the strengthening of existing legislati...
Blog
First look at the new sustainable finance strategy
In my previous post, we were counting down to the Renewed Sustainable Finance Strategy and reflecting on some of the main challenges and opportunities it could address. On July 6th, the Strategy was finally presented – and while many of our points have...
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NFU takes a seat in the Nordic Council’s Civil society network
Nordic Financial Unions (NFU) is honored to be one of the 40 civil society organisations to take a seat in the Nordic Council’s Network for Civil society organisations. The aim of the network is to strengthen the voice of the civil society in the work t...
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Ahead of the Renewed Sustainable Finance Strategy
With the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement, the discussions on sustainable finance started to gain traction. One of the reasons for this was the realization that the achievement of the commitments and ambitions...
Blog
Report follow up – Compliance still affecting the workload but digitalization can be a helping tool
NFU has conducted a follow up on the results from the thorough report from 2018 Coping with Compliance. The idea was to see if there have been any changes in the field of coping with compliance during the last three years.
In 2018 NFU conducted a...
Blog
EU Commission proposes regulation on AI
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being adopted by the financial industry at an increasing pace these years. Some estimates the AI market growing at 33% for the next six years and in a McKinsey study from 2020, 50% of their respondents reporting that thei...
News
Michael Budolfsen and Susanne Lindberg re-elected as President and Vice President of NFU
The NFU Union Council of 2021 took place digitally at 23th of April. Thanks to a good cooperation with TCO we could have a nice setting for the digital council. Despite the meeting being digital, the council had a nice turnout of participants.
At the co...
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Simon Jernberg Appointed as new Policy Advisor at NFU
We are happy to welcome Simon Jernberg as Nordic Financial Unions new Policy Advisor. Simon Jernberg has a large interest in international politics, policy and advocacy work. After graduating from Stockholm University, he has been working in different i...
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Joint Fintech project: Register for the first virtual workshop
UNI Europa Finance, NFU and Gothenburg University are happy to invite you to the first virtual workshop of our joint research project on the impact of Fintech companies on the financial sector, and the role of trade unions in this landscape....
News
Carin Hallerström new General Secretary of NFU
The Management Board of Nordic Financial Union has appointed Carin Hallerström as new General Secretary of NFU. She will take up her new position as General Secretary of NFU from September 1, 2020.
Carin Hallerström is passionate about intern...
Promoting the Nordic model
NFU is the Nordic financial trade unions’ voice in the EU. Our aim is to safeguard the Nordic model and promote sustainable financial sectors for all.
Publications
Seven affiliated unions
NFU serves as the cornerstone for the close-knit collaboration among seven trade unions representing bank and insurance employees across the Nordics.