Partnership and Support
Landsbankinn supports and participates in various social initiatives that encourage development and progress in the community. The Bank’s Community Fund is key to such support.
Community Fund
Landsbankinn's Community Fund is key to the Bank's contribution to the community. In 2019, scholarships were awarded in the amount of ISK 6 million and community grants in the amount of ISK 15 million - a total of ISK 21 million. Since 2011, 350 projects have received grants in the total amount of ISK 150 million from Landsbankinn’s Community Fund.
Emphasis is placed on ensuring varied support and that the Bank's contributions benefit a wide array of people. The Bank has set itself the rule that judging panels shall to a majority be comprised of experts in each field and that the application process for grants is well established and clear to ensure that the Bank's customers and all Icelanders have equal opportunity to apply.
Allocation from the Community Fund
- Varied support for the community that benefits numerous parties.
- Judging panels are to a majority comprised of experts in each field.
- Equal treatment and diversification ensured in so far as possible in awarding grants.
- Clear framework for awarding of the Bank's financial grants.
Gay Pride
Landsbankinn supports the Icelandic campaign for LGBTQI+ rights and has been a proud sponsor of Reykjavík Pride since the beginning. Reykjavík Pride marked its 20th anniversary with the grandest festival yet.
In 2017, the collaboration was enhanced with the establishment of the Pride Parade Fund. The aim of the Pride Parade Fund is to support individuals and smaller groups to prepare floats and appearances in the Pride Parade and thus to encourage participation in Reykjavík Pride.
More about Reykjavík Pride
Samtökin '78
Samtökin '78 is a national organisation of LGBTQI+. Their aim is to ensure the recognition, visibility and full rights of queer individuals in Iceland. The organisation offers a wide variety of services, including advisory service and education material. Landsbankinn has supported Samtökin '78 for many years.
More about Samtökin '78Iceland Airwaves
Landsbankinn is a proud supporter of music festival Iceland Airwaves. Providing support for young musicians allows the Bank to combine corporate social responsibility and its endeavour to actively promote art and culture in Iceland. In recent years, Landsbankinn has gotten into gear for Iceland Airwaves by creating new videos featuring promising musicians. In 2019, the Bank partnered with Krassasig, Una Schram and Tómas Welding.
These videos, along with interviews with the musicians, are available on Landsbankinn's Airwaves website and they also appeared at the Bank's off-venue concert held at the Austurstræti branch and Stúdentakjallarinn. Both performances were well attended and well received.
Landsbankinn’s online IA forum
Reykjavík Cultural Night
Landsbankinn has been an active participant in Reykjavík Cultural Night from the beginning. The Bank has hosted an open house and sponsored the project throughout. The Bank has placed great emphasis on ensuring that its financial support directly benefits artists and groups organising events for Reykjavík Cultural Night. For that purpose, a special fund was created in collaboration with Höfuðborgarstofa. Its objective is to support original and special ideas. In 2019, the Fund received 70 applications and 23 exciting projects received a grant.
More about Reykjavík Cultural Night
Aldrei fór ég suður festival
Landsbankinn is one of the main sponsors of rock festival Aldrei fór ég suður, held in Ísafjörður every Easter. Landsbankinn has supported the festival since 2010 as part of its efforts to actively foster the grassroot music scene in Iceland. Some amazing musicians appeared at the 2019 festival, including Svala, Herra Hnetusmjör, Berndsen and Jónas Sig.
More about Aldrei fór ég suður
Skólahreysti - Fit for School
Landsbankinn is the main sponsor of Skólahreysti, a sports tournament for elementary schools, and an active supporter of the tournament. The aim of Skólahreysti is to encourage children to participate in a comprehensive sports experience based on the tenets of physical education. The popularity of Skólahreysti increases every year.
The competition was held for the 15th time in spring 2019 and 100 elementary schools from around Iceland participated. Skólahreysti is also sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Education, the Nordic Council of Ministers, Toyota and the Icelandic Sports Union and Olympic Committee.
More about Skólahreysti
Rescue squad Landsbjörg
Landsbankinn is a main sponsor of Slysavarnafélagið Landsbjörg, the Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue (ICE-SAR). The Bank wishes to contribute to effective rescue service and accident prevention throughout Iceland. ICE-SAR is a national association of rescue and prevention squads and one of Iceland's largest volunteer associations. The aim of ICE-SAR is to prevent accidents and save human lives and valuables.
More about ICE-SAR
Cluster initiative in tourism
Landsbankinn has participated in a tourism cluster initiative since the project was launched in 2012. The key goal is to increase competitiveness and value creation in the travel industry and the project is guided by the cluster methodology espoused by Michael Porter. Key companies in the travel industry, public entities and companies in tourism support branches or collaborative sectors all join forces in the cluster.
More about the Tourism Cluster
The Football Association of Iceland
Landsbankinn sponsors the Football Association of Iceland (KSÍ). Along with five other companies, Landsbankinn provides financial support for development of Icelandic football country-wide, for all youth national teams and the A-level men's and women's teams.
The Icelandic men’s national team competed in the qualifying rounds for UEFA Euro 2020, securing a spot in the play-offs in the summer of 2020.
In summer, Landsbankinn and KSÍ presented a new award to players in the junior leagues throughout Iceland, the Politeness Prize. This prize is intended to encourage honourable conduct and decorum in players and others involved in matches.
Gulleggið
Landsbankinn sponsors Gulleggið, an annual innovation competition hosted by Icelandic Startups. The key goal of the competition is to create a platform for young entrepreneurs to practice and gain experience of shaping new business ideas and operating a company. As part of the competition, participants are offered courses, advice and specialist assistance with everything from shaping a business idea to budgeting to communication with investors.
More about Gulleggið
Háskólasjóður Eimskipafélagsins
Nine PhD students at the University of Iceland received grants from the Háskólasjóður H/f Eimskipafélags Íslands Fund in spring 2019. The Fund is managed by Landsbankinn.
The Háskólasjóður H/f Eimskipafélags Íslands Fund was created by expat Icelanders in 1964 who donated their stock in Eimskipafélagið. The Fund was created in memory of Icelanders who emigrated to the USA and Canada and aims to support research students at the University of Iceland. Grants were awarded from the Fund in its current form for the first time in 2006, and 142 PhD students have since received grants.
More about Háskólasjóður Eimskipafélagsins
Svanni - Women's Loan Guarantee Fund
Landsbankinn and Svanni - Women's Loan Guarantee Fund collaborate to grant credit to women in business. The Fund and the Bank jointly guarantee the loans. Landsbankinn guarantees half of loan amounts and the Fund the other half, ensuring easier access to funding to female business operators and increasing the opportunity for women to establish companies. The partnership agreement is part of Landsbankinn's efforts to boost Icelandic industry and encourage innovation domestically.
More about Svanni
The Vigdís International Centre
In 2019, Landsbankinn supported the Vigdís International Centre which operates out of Veröld - Vigdís' House, The Vigdís International Centre for Multilingualism and Intercultural Understanding was in November 2011 authorised to operate under the auspices of UNESCO.
More about the Vigdís International Centre
Financial education
Landsbankinn has in recent years offered financial instruction to students of upper secondary schools with the aim of boosting financial literacy to prepare students to take financial decisions and plan for the future. In 2019, 48 visits were made to 13 schools throughout Iceland.
Landsbankinn actively participates in the financial education programme Fjármálavit, hosted by the Icelandic Financial Services Association (SFF) and its members. The aim is to instruct 10th grade students in all elementary schools in Iceland on the basics of household finances and inspire teaching about financial matters. 90 employees from members of SFF participated in the introduction of Fjármálavit and related projects to around 3000 students in 2019..
More about Fjármálavit
Chess tournament Friðriksmót
Landsbankinn’s Friðriksmót – the Icelandic rapid chess tournament – was held in December. Some 80 chess players competed, including many of the country’s strongest players. This was the sixteenth annual Friðriksmót chess tournament organised and hosted by Landsbankinn and the Icelandic Chess Federation in honour of Friðrik Ólafsson, Iceland’s first grandmaster.
Support for sports and youth activities
Landsbankinn endeavours to actively support sports in Iceland. With that in mind, the Bank's branches throughout the country enter into direct partnership agreements with local sports clubs. The Bank places special emphasis on supporting children and youth activities.
The Iceland Ocean Cluster
Landsbankinn is a partner of the Iceland Ocean Cluster, which aims to boost the competitiveness and value creation of Icelandic companies who utilise marine resources, directly or indirectly. Since its establishment the Iceland Ocean Cluster has contributed to development and innovation in the sectors in the Cluster in cooperation with corporates and educational institutions and published various research and analysis papers. Around 60 companies and institutions in varied marine-related operations in Iceland are formally a part of the Cluster.
More about the Iceland Ocean Cluster
Kraftur
Towards the end of 2019, Landsbankinn presented Kraftur with a financial donation in the name of 876 companies deemed exceptional by Creditinfo. Kraftur is a support society for young cancer patients and their next of kin. Every year, around 70 individuals aged 18-40 are diagnosed with cancer and Kraftur provides both financial and emotional support to the patients and their families.
More about Kraftur
Future programmers
The fund Future Programmers is a social initiative that aims to promote programming and technical education in Iceland’s elementary and secondary schools. The main goal is for programming to become a part of the elementary and secondary school curriculum. The Fund supports schools in their endeavour to offer programming courses, gifts computer equipment to schools and advises on programming education and training for teachers. Landsbankinn is one of the Fund’s backers along with the Icelandic Banks' Data Centre (RB), the Ministry of Education, CCP, Icelandair and others.
More about Future Programmers
The Fintech Cluster
Landsbankinn is one of the founding members of the Fintech Cluster along with 62 other companies, universities, organisations and other entities. The aim of the Fintech Cluster is to promote innovation in finance and work to improve and facilitate business transactions of all kinds. The Cluster is a community of actors in finance who wish to encourage increased value creation, competition and improve daily life.
The Fintech Cluster will host events, such as meetings about the various aspects of financial technology (fintech), promote start-ups, fintech meet-ups and more. The Cluster will further the interests of fintech in other ways, such as by fostering connections between foreign enterprises and clusters, possible partners and various specialised projects.
More about the Fintech Cluster