meta_id 3199230

On May 29, 2026, Finansinspektionen (FI), Sweden's financial supervisory authority, announced its intention to publish guidance clarifying banks' obligations to provide basic banking services to customers. FI has engaged with multiple stakeholders to deepen its understanding of the underlying reasons customers lack access to basic banking services and to assess the need for guidance. A central issue FI will address is defining what constitutes a payment account with basic functions and which features are required for an account to qualify as such. FI intends to publish a clarification of its assessment of how the concept of a payment account with basic functions should be interpreted, based on relevant European Union rules and Swedish implementation. For other matters, FI will provide guidance by clarifying how banks should apply certain binding rules. Such guidance may be issued through general advice or legal positions. FI will also provide guidance on practical application by answering specific questions in a compiled written frequently asked questions section on its website. The guidance will address consumer protection issues related to banks' statutory duty to offer basic banking services. This initiative responds to barriers some customers face in accessing essential financial services from banks operating in Sweden. FI's approach combines clarification of regulatory concepts with practical application guidance to ensure consistent implementation across the banking sector. The promemoria detailing FI's planned guidance is available on its website.