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{{Short description|Latvian subsidiary of Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken}}
{{About|the Latvian bank|the Lithuanian bank|SEB bankas|similar uses|Seb (disambiguation)#Organizations{{!}}Seb § Organizations}}
{{Redirect|Unibanka|the Slovak bank|UniCredit Bank Slovakia}}
{{Infobox company|name=SEB banka AS|former_name=Latvijas Unibanka<br>
SEB Latvijas Unibanka|net_income=€24.76 mln <small>(2014)<ref name="seb_profile">[https://thebanks.eu/banks/16328 Bank Profile: SEB banka]</ref></small>|assets=€3587.86 mln <small>(2014)<ref name="seb_profile"/></small>|equity=€435.07 mln <small>(2014)<ref name="seb_profile"/></small>|owner=[[SEB Group]] (100%)|type=[[Subsidiary]]|founded={{Start date and age|1993}}|website=https://seb.lv|logo=SEB_logo.svg}}
'''SEB banka''' (formerly ''Latvijas Unibanka'', then ''SEB Latvijas Unibanka'') is one of the largest [[bank]]s in [[Latvia]] and a part of the Swedish [[SEB Group]]. Nowadays, its main rivals in the Latvian banking market are [[Swedbank]], [[Luminor]] and [[Citadele banka|Citadele]] bank.<ref>[https://www.financelatvia.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Banku-statistika-2018.-gada-2.-ceturksni%CC%84-1.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014130156/https://www.financelatvia.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Banku-statistika-2018.-gada-2.-ceturksni%CC%84-1.pdf |date=2018-10-14 }} Banku statistika 2018. gada 2. ceturksnī</ref>

SEB banka has been designated as a Significant Institution since the entry into force of [[European Banking Supervision]] in late 2014, and as a consequence is directly supervised by the [[European Central Bank]].<ref>{{cite web |website=European Central Bank |title=The list of significant supervised entities and the list of less significant institutions |url=https://www.bankingsupervision.europa.eu/ecb/pub/pdf/ssm-listofsupervisedentities1409en.pdf |date=4 September 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |website=European Central Bank |title=List of supervised entities |date=1 January 2023 |url=https://www.bankingsupervision.europa.eu/ecb/pub/pdf/ssm.listofsupervisedentities202302.en.pdf }}</ref>

== History ==
The bank was first founded on 29 September 1993 as ''[[Akciju sabiedrība|AS]] Latvijas Universālā banka'' ('Universal Bank of Latvia') by combining 21 of the non-privatized branches of the [[Bank of Latvia]] after its reorganization.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2020-01-01 |title=Vēsture {{!}} SEB banka |url=https://www.seb.lv/par-seb/par-seb/seb-latvija/vesture |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200101142110/https://www.seb.lv/par-seb/par-seb/seb-latvija/vesture |archive-date=2020-01-01 |access-date=2022-09-03 |website=seb.lv}}</ref> In 1994 it was handed over to the [[Privatization Agency of Latvia]], but in 1995 it was registered as a private joint-stock company (half of the shares belonged to private capital, half - to the Latvian state), and on 12 December 1995 changed its name to ''Latvijas Unibanka''.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date= |title=SEB banka, AS, 40003151743, Previous names |url=https://www.lursoft.lv/previous-names/40003151743?l=en |access-date=2022-09-03 |website=Lursoft |language=en}}</ref>

In 1996, the shares of ''Latvijas Unibanka'' began to be listed on the official list of the [[Nasdaq Riga|Riga Stock Exchange]] and were acquired by the [[European Bank for Reconstruction and Development]] and ''Swedfund International AB''.<ref name=":0" />

During the [[1998 Russian financial crisis|Russian economic crisis in 1998]], ''Latvijas Unibanka'' started cooperation with Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken, which became a shareholder on January 5, 1999. By 2000, SEB had become the majority shareholder and launched a bid to grow its share to 98%.  In February 2001, Unibanka stopped listing its shares in the Riga Stock Exchange. SEB became the only shareholder in 2004, and on 11 April 2005, it was renamed to ''SEB Unibanka'', and on 7 April 2008 to ''SEB banka''.<ref name=":0" /> Until 2008, the bank's branches were named with a '''Uni-''<nowiki/>' prefix (e.g. ''Unilīzings'' for leasing) and its logo was a stylized [[Möbius strip]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2005-04-07 |title=Unibanka maina nosaukumu |trans-title=Unibanka changes its name |url=https://www.apollo.lv/4723405/unibanka-maina-nosaukumu |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=Apollo.lv |language=lv}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-01-26 |title='SEB Unibankas' nosaukums turpmāk būs 'SEB banka' |url=https://www.vipi.tv/paparaci/latvija/idn18549/seb-unibankas-nosaukums-turpmak-bus-seb-banka/ |access-date=2022-09-03 |website=Vipi.tv |language=lv}}</ref>

The first headquarters of the bank were located in Pils iela 23 along the [[Doma laukums|Doma Square]] in [[Vecrīga]], before moving to a new building (''SEB finanšu centrs'', SEB Financial Center) in [[Valdlauči]], [[Ķekava Parish]], [[Ķekava Municipality]] just outside the borders of Riga in 2004.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date= |title=SEB banka, AS, 40003151743, Previous addresses |url=https://www.lursoft.lv/previous-addresses/40003151743?l=en |access-date=2022-09-03 |website=Lursoft |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Contacts {{!}} SEB |url=https://www.seb.lv/en/contacts#seb-banka |access-date=2022-09-03 |website=www.seb.lv |language=en}}</ref>

In 2022, the bank began to scale down its operations in Russia and donated EUR 200,000 to support the Ukrainian people.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-03-21 |title=SEB Bank Says Not Viable to Maintain Operations in Russia |language=en |work=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-21/seb-bank-says-it-s-not-viable-to-maintain-operations-in-russia-l10sprgl |access-date=2023-05-04}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=SEB Group in Latvia ended 2022 with positive indicators and an increase in loans issued and retail deposits |url=https://www.baltictimes.com/seb_group_in_latvia_ended_2022_with_positive_indicators_and_an_increase_in_loans_issued_and_retail_deposits/ |access-date=2023-05-04 |website=[[baltictimes.com]]}}</ref>

== Operation ==
The Management Board of SEB Latvia consists of six people: Chairman of the Management Board Ieva Tetere, Head of Large Corporate Banking Ints Krasts, Head of Retail and SME Banking Arnis Škapars, the Board member responsible for AML and Compliance Māris Larionovs, the Board member responsible for Credit and Risk control Kārlis Danēvičs and Chief Financial Officer Jeļena Cīrule.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Changes in the composition of the Management Board of SEB Latvia |url=https://www.baltictimes.com/changes_in_the_composition_of_the_management_board_of_seb_latvia/ |access-date=2023-05-04 |website=www.baltictimes.com}}</ref> 

== Patron of the University of Latvia ==
SEB banka is a silver patron of the [[University of Latvia Foundation]]. SEB has supported the [[University of Latvia]] since 2008 by donating to scholarships and forums.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fonds.lv/lepojamies/mecenati/sudraba-mecenati/as-seb-banka/ |title = "SEB banka"}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[SEB Pank]] ([[Estonia]])
*[[Vilniaus Bankas|SEB bankas]] ([[Lithuania]])
*[[Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken]] ([[Sweden]])

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.seb.lv/en/ SEB banka] - Official site
*[http://www.seb.net/ SEB]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Banks of Latvia]]
[[Category:Companies based in Riga]]
[[Category:Banks under direct supervision of the European Central Bank]]
[[Category:Latvian companies established in 1993]]
[[Category:Banks established in 1993]]


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