Retail Banking Market Insights: Norway

Norway has a developed, well diversified, and stable financial system. The market for financial services is concentrated, with a handful of large banks controlling a significant market share. Product ownership rates are high for mortgages and current and savings accounts. Consumers are generally conservative in their choice of provider, with a bias towards providers they have an existing relationship with. The market should open up to new entrants in order to encourage greater competition within the sector.

Key Findings

– The banking sector in Norway is concentrated, with the top three providers accounting for 59% of main current accounts.

– Norwegian consumers tend to choose providers on the basis of reputational factors and an existing relationship.

– 11% consumers in Norway have switched their accounts in the last 12 months, which is the highest in the region. However, it is still below the global average.

– Norwegian savers are cautious, with around two-thirds saving to protect themselves against unforeseen events and over a third saving for financial investment. A desire for value for money is among the top three consumer characteristics.

– The mortgage market in Norway will grow rapidly over the next five years (2015-19). The high rate of mortgage ownership (57%) suggests that Norwegian households have relatively broad access to mortgage credit.

– Norway’s mortgage balances outstanding totaled NOK 1.74tn in 2014, up from NOK1.21tn in 2009.

– Around a third of consumers in Norway have a personal loan and consumer lending is dependent on overall economic development. The personal loans market is dominated by DNB, Sparebank 1 Gruppen, and Santander, with almost 42% of loans held with these two providers.

– More than two thirds of the population use smartphones in Norway, implying a large potential market for mobile-delivered financial services. Continued investment in Norway’s banking infrastructure is the key to progress.

Synopsis

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