Finansinspektionen, the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority, lists fraud, financial exclusion, unhealthy lending, and unsuitable savings and insurance products as its top four main priorities to investigate during 2025.

In its new consumer protection report, Finansinspektionen says it sees consumers being offered financial products that they do not understand or do not need relating to savings and investment products as well as insurance. That includes crypto offerings, or investment opportunities offered by parties without a license.

“Many people encounter information from actors who lack a license and who do not always act in the best interests of the consumer. For example, crypto assets or unlisted shares are sometimes pointed out as investment opportunities for broad groups, even though these are directly unsuitable for most consumers,” the authority states.

Therefore, as digitalization and viral trends are creating risks for consumers in the financial market, Finansinspektion will also look into the quality of investment advice from finfluencers and AI, and faulty promises of quick profits from crypto trading.

Moa Langemark, consumer protection economist at Finansinspektionen, says that the authority is seeing more and more consumers seeking financial information in new ways, and advises never to invest in something unclear regardless of who’s promoting the investment.

“It is important to be aware of the risks. New trends arise all the time, but as a consumer it is often good to keep a cool head and proceed slowly,” Langemark said.

Fraud, debanking, pensions, and credit

Besides investigating unsuitable savings and investments offerings, the authority will also investigate the following areas:

Fraud

Fraud in many guises has increased, and fraudsters are gaining increasing amounts. The type of fraud that has increased most is where a consumer is tricked into sending money to the fraudster.

The total amount of criminal profits from investment fraud were just over SKr 1.7 billion ($177m) in 2024, a 27% decrease compared to 2023. However, the authority says that criminal profits are still at a high level, and were twice as high in 2024 as they were in 2020.

Financial exclusion

Even though digitalization provides easy accessibility into the financial market, many customers are still struggling with being denied an account or having accounts closed. The authority will investigate how the four largest banks have worked to avoid restricting consumers’ right to a payment account more than necessary.

Transfer of occupational pension and unhealthy lending

Are financial companies and advisers providing the best outcomes for the customers? Finansinspektionen has been pointing out the potential risk of conflict of interest in the connection between transferring occupational pensions and offers of low mortgage interest rates, especially if the adviser is awarded commission to sell certain products.

During the year, Finansinspektionen will inspect transfers of occupational pensions and how they affect consumers.

“Crypto assets or unlisted shares are sometimes pointed out as investment opportunities for broad groups, even though these are directly unsuitable for most consumers.”

Finansinspektionen

The authority will also examine unhealthy lending, another of its long term priorities, and will review how lenders handle credit checks to ensure that loans are not given to those who cannot repay them.

“It is worrying that payment problems associated with loans have increased noticeably in recent years,” Finansinspektionen said in the report.

Change in regulation

Due to the increasing frauds, the authority also wants to see a change in regulation in which customers get better protection in the event of such social manipulation.

Today, if a consumer is tricked into make a transaction, the transaction is usually considered to be authorized, leaving most victims without compensation.