Handelsbanken, the Swedish bank with branches in 22 countries
worldwide is the latest International bank to open in Glasgow.
With 60 branches already in England & Wales, the opening of
the branch at 206 St Vincent Street is the bank's first venture in
Scotland.
Anders Bouvin, Executive Vice President & Regional Head of
Handelsbanken explained the rationale behind opening in Glasgow.
"When we decided the timing was right to introduce Handelsbanken in
Scotland, it was a very natural choice to open an office in
Glasgow. The city offers tremendous opportunities to do business
with quality customers who, like us, value long term relationships
and appreciate being able to talk directly to decision makers; just
like banking used to be not too long ago"
Central to Handelsbanken's success is its philosophy of
decentralisation. Each branch operates as a small business, making
decisions at a local level for Corporate/SME and individual
customers. The bank believes shorter lines of communication and
swifter decision-making are key benefits for customers.
Branch Manager George Shanks said "The feedback we have had
since opening has been very positive and our message has been well
received by the local business community".