With roots tracing back to 1875, Íslandsbanki is an Icelandic bank deeply engrained in the economy of Iceland. In its formative years, Íslandsbanki became Iceland’s first public limited company and played an integral role in developing Iceland’s fishing industry. After merging with the Union Bank, Industrial Bank, Fisheries Bank of Iceland, and the Commerce Bank in 1990, Íslandsbanki was officially established, becoming the largest private sector bank in Iceland. Later, in 2000, the merger of Íslandsbanki and the Icelandic Investment Bank allowed for Íslandsbanki to embark on a path towards international growth and rapid expansion. As Íslandsbanki first expanded into Norway with the acquisition of Kreditbanken in 2004, Íslandsbanki soon opened offices abroad to cope with this exponential international expansion. In 2006, the Íslandsbanki changed its name to Glitnir. While Glitnir grew at an exponential rate, it collapsed by late-2008 in the wake of the Icelandic financial crisis. In the February of 2009, Glitnir officially changed its name back to the original Íslandsbanki. After several years of full state ownership the bank is now jointly owned by the State of Iceland and private investors after a successful 2021 IPO. The state plans to sell its remaining 40% in 2025.
Currently, Íslandsbanki is a financial institution that offers an array of financial and banking services to its customers in Iceland. With 775 employees, Íslandsbanki operates twelve branches throughout the country. As one of Iceland’s leading banks, Íslandsbanki has developed a strong reputation in its service of individuals, corporations, and professional investors.
Looking to the future, Íslandsbanki has introduced a variety of digital solutions to stay ahead of market changes. Despite challenges in 2023, including high inflation, high interest rates, changing leadership, and a global pandemic, Íslandsbanki remains one of Iceland’s leading companies.
Íslandsbanki emphasizes integrating sustainability into its operations, alongside its profit objectives. In addition to being a model of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) in its operations, the Bank is committed to initiating broader collaboration on responsible business practices that contribute to sustainable development in the Icelandic economy.
Environmental Goals:
Íslandsbanki has emphasized evaluating and minimizing the negative impact its activities may have on the environment.
With reference to this, the Bank is determined to systematically reduce and prevent the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to its activities, reduce its energy consumption, and decrease the ratio of unsorted waste generated by its activities. The Bank measures its carbon footprint annually, sets targets for reducing carbon emissions, and implements mitigating measures to offset emissions. To reduce its operational GHG emissions the Bank focuses on among other things, decreasing the ratio of unsorted waste by increasing the recycle ratio and use resources responsibly. The Bank aims to ensure the continued carbon neutrality of its operations by offsetting emissions which have not yet been reduced when the Bank has achieved all its targets in relation to GHG emissions. The Bank has committed to achieve net-zero emissions no later than 2040, that is GHG emission in operations and financed emissions. The Bank’s carbon footprint and environmental impact of the lending portfolio and investment assets is much more extensive than the impact of the operations.
Seven sustainability goals for 2025
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