Riksbank’s Priorities – Inclusion, Resilience, and Competition

Sveriges Riksbank (Riksbank) works to ensure that payments in Sweden are safe, efficient, and accessible. They need to function in peacetime, crisis, and states of heightened alert. The Riksbank publishes a payments report most years, although 2023 was an exception. The latest report describes and analyses developments in the payments market over the past year ¹.

Role of the Riksbank

The payments market is characterised by economies of scale and network effects, which can lead to a high degree of market concentration and a lack of competition and innovation. Accessibility and resilience are not guaranteed by market operations and so the Riksbank is ready to take an active role in the payments market.

In some cases, the Riksbank provides services, either on its own or in cooperation with private operators, such as finalising payments between participants in the RIX payments system.