- Business
- Sparebanken Norge (formerly Sparebanken Vest, ticker: SBNOR) operates as an independent, listed financial services group primarily engaged in banking and financing activities for retail and corporate customers across Norway, with a focus on Western Norway including the counties of Vestland, Rogaland, and Møre og Romsdal. The company offers a diversified portfolio of core products and services, including traditional retail banking such as mortgages, personal loans, savings accounts, payment solutions, debit and credit cards, and online banking facilities; corporate banking encompassing financing for key industries like aquaculture, fisheries, public services, shipping, oil and gas, and other sectors; digital banking through its Bulder mobile-only platform serving over 117,000 customers with NOK 64 billion in loans; investment services via Norne Securities for securities trading and brokerage; leasing and real estate agency activities; insurance products through its largest shareholder stake in Frende Forsikring; and financing solutions via Brage Finans. Headquartered in Bergen and Kristiansand with 36 branch offices and approximately 1,600 full-time equivalents post-merger, Sparebanken Norge was founded in 1823 as Norway's oldest savings bank and celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2023. In a major strategic development, the company completed its merger with Sparebanken Sør on May 2, 2025, creating Norway's largest savings bank group with 797,500 customers, NOK 453 billion in gross loans, and enhanced market position through issuance of 59.9 million new equity capital certificates at NOK 89.1 each; it also strengthened digital capabilities via a strategic partnership with Tietoevry, reported a Q1 2025 return on equity exceeding 21% against a 13% target, and continued Bulder's strong growth with NOK 10.3 billion in annual loan expansion. Subsidiaries include Sparebanken Norge Boligkreditt AS for covered bonds and stakes in product companies like Norne Securities AS and Brage Finans AS, targeting sustainable growth for approximately 325,000 retail and 14,200 corporate customers with 76% of lending to retail secured by mortgages.