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Resolution in terms of the Estonia matter

On this site you can

  • find a link to the company announcement about the resolution on the Estonia matter
  • read answers to your questions in our FAQ
  • read more about our focus areas in the fight against financial crime.

The resolutions mark the end of the investigations into Danske Bank by US and Danish authorities. We have cooperated since we were approached by the authorities and accept the terms of the resolutions.

We offer our unreserved apology and take full responsibility for the unacceptable failures and misconduct of the past, which have no place at Danske Bank today. We have learnt from our mistakes and we have taken the steps necessary to ensure that Danske Bank has robust measures in place to do everything possible to prevent these failures taking place again.

Martin Blessing

Chairman of the Board of Directors, Danske Bank

Questions & answers

  • Danske Bank fully accepts and agrees to the terms of the resolutions. Danske Bank takes full responsibility for what happened in the bank at the time. It was unacceptable, and we apologise unreservedly to our customers, partners, and employees.

  • The bank has pleaded guilty to bank fraud charges brought by the DOJ and has accepted the securities fraud complaint brought by the SEC. We fully accept and agree to the terms of the resolutions. Danske Bank takes full responsibility for what happened in the bank at the time. It was unacceptable, and we apologise unreservedly to our customers, partners, and employees.

  • No. Our banking services will continue unaffected.

  • Danske Bank remains sufficiently capitalised and has made the necessary provisions to pay the fine. Neither the fine nor the terms of the resolutions will affect our ambition to operate a leading universal Nordic bank that is competitive for our customers and focused on cost management.

  • Danske Bank clearly failed to live up to its responsibility in this matter. This is disappointing and unacceptable, and we offer our apologies to our customers, investors, employees and society in general. Danske Bank regrets these historical failings and misconduct. We have learnt from our mistakes and we have taken the necessary steps to ensure the bank has robust measures in place to do everything possible to prevent these failures and misconduct taking place again.

  • We fight financial crime every day. It is a key priority for Danske Bank. We have been taking and will continue to take extensive measures to strengthen defenses against financial crimes by criminal individuals and organisations as we work towards becoming a leading universal Nordic bank for all our customers.

  • The resolutions mark the closure of the investigations into the bank by the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Danish Serious Crime Unit. The clarity this provides for our colleagues, our customers and our investors is of course significant. We have made considerable investments in building systems and upgraded our compliance, risk and control capabilities, and we are actively nurturing a culture where employees can speak up if they see actions that may not meet our standards. This transformative change, both at an operational and a cultural level has moved us to a much stronger position today, and will strengthen our defenses against these deeply regrettable failures, and enable us to deliver on our longer term strategic objectives with expert advisory, strong digital solutions and sustainable finance at our core.

    The plea agreement reached with DoJ has been approved by the U.S. District Court. Sentencing will take place on a later date.

  • Danske Bank has pleaded guilty to a criminal charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, which has today been approved by a U.S. District Court, including the terms and facts of the resolution agreed between Danske Bank and the DOJ. As we have reported, sentencing by the same judge in the U.S. District Court is expected to take place soon.

  • These resolutions were reached in dialogue with the relevant authorities. Danske Bank fully accepts and agrees to the terms of the resolutions.

  • Yes. As communicated in connection with our financial results for Q3 this year, Danske Bank has made the necessary provisions to pay the fine and remains sufficiently capitalised. We will continue to work closely with the authorities and the bank will now take the necessary steps to pay the fine.

  • The fines and terms of the resolutions have been determined by the authorities. We cannot comment on the process of how this was assessed. We fully accept the resolutions and fines in their entirety and will now pay the fines to the authorities and move forward.

  • No.

  • Danske Bank continues to hold all its existing licenses and remains in close dialogue with the DFSA and its other regulators.

  • Danske Bank remains sufficiently capitalised and has made the necessary provisions to pay the fine. Neither the fine nor the terms of the resolutions will affect our ambition to operate a leading universal Nordic bank that is competitive for our customers and focused on cost management.

  • We maintain a number of USD clearing relationships to support our business and our customers and will continue the range of products and services we currently enjoy.

  • We are always in close dialogue with the DFSA and other important official stakeholders and have of course kept the DFSA fully updated, but we cannot comment on those dialogues.

  • The ongoing civil claims are not included in today’s resolutions, and Danske Bank will continue to vigorously contest these claims.

  • As previously communicated, Danske Bank does not wish to benefit financially from suspicious transactions that took place in the non-resident portfolio of its Estonian branch. That is why the Board of Directors decided to donate the gross income in the event that it was not confiscated and/or disgorged. As the full amount has been confiscated and/or disgorged by the authorities, the bank will not make a donation towards an independent foundation.

    We will, of course, continue to share knowledge, best practice, and insights about combating international financial crime in the relevant fora.

  • No.

How we fight against financial crime

We are committed to fighting financial crime, and continuing to strengthen and improve our efforts to preserve the integrity of our business and uphold our societal responsibility is a key priority for us. We adhere to the principles developed by Finance Denmark and these principles are also reflected in our approach:

People

We continually ensure that the bank has the right competences and people 

Partnerships

We collaborate with authorities and industry colleagues in partnerships

Processes

We continually improve our controls, systems and processes