The Safe Deposit Bank of Norway is exactly that. A safe deposit bank for ultra secure, large deposits.

What we do

SDBN mitigates counterparty risk

Given prudent risk management practices whereby treasurers and CIOs of asset managers and family offices limit their exposure to any one government’s paper, the CIO of one of the largest London based European asset managers recently said:

“Our clients pay us to take investment risk, not counterparty risk, which is why placing surplus cash in a solid Central Bank is a great solution for us.”

As we have found out most starkly, in the last financial crisis and some recent bail-ins, money in the bank is at risk, whether the bank itself has a liquidity squeeze or has exposure to a bank that has liquidity issues. This so-called counterparty risk with a bank is very difficult to quantify.

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Cash safety and liquidity

Unlike other banks, so long as you give them an order of payment your cash can go anywhere, the hermetically sealed safety of our solution comes from the fact that our Clients’ outgoing payments can only go back to their own accounts. Clients’ accounts are predetermined and vetted up front at the time of becoming a Client. Hence, your account is entirely ring fenced within SDBN.

Notably, SDBN by license can only hold its cash at the Central Bank. There is no possibility of fraud or leakage. SDBN’s banking license was purposefully created to hold as assets only cash balances at the Central Bank of Norway. Under the same license, SDBN is allowed to incur liabilities only in the form of cash deposits.

Be it ultra-high net worth individuals, asset managers or corporate treasurers looking to park their surplus cash, SDBN provides its deposit holders the certainty that their cash is safe from any credit or other counterparty related risks. All deposits are on an overnight basis, so that deposit holders have unlimited and unrestricted liquidity.

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SDBN opens doors into Central Banks of AAA rated economies

We are only a conduit, purely a facilitator – the money link is directly from the Client into they’re account with SDBN in the Central Bank.

Currently, SDBN provides deposits only in NOK at the Norwegian Central Bank. However, the ability to receive deposits also in Euros, is well advanced and will be operational during 2018.

An effective and extremely simple product: To offer a cash management solution whereby they effectively keep their cash overnight at the Central Bank. It’s effectively taking deposit insurance. If one wanted to insure deposits against bank risk, one might ask a reinsurer, who may use CDS spreads as a guide for pricing such insurance, but no such product exists and even reinsurers have liquidity issues as we’ve seen in the past. No insurance is stronger than the Central Bank itself.

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A solid, technology driven solution

Our banking technology and operational controls are specifically designed to restrict operations in line with our banking license and sole activity:

  • SDBN has only one account at the Central Bank, we are a direct participant in the Norwegian Central Bank’s Operational System (NBO). Unlike all other Norwegian banks, we are not part of the Norwegian Interbank Clearing System (NICS).
  • Deposit holder’s cash can only come into SDBN’s account at the Central Bank, where it stays.
  • We cannot make third party payments, deposits can only be transferred out to the deposit holder’s own predefined accounts.
  • Any change to the transfer-out instructions requires multiple approval levels in our banking IT system, including unanimous verification in the system by the Board of SDBN.
  • Alterations to these established IT controls requires unanimous Board decision which needs to be communicated to the IT provider in a face to face meeting.
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About us

We safeguard our Clients Cash reserves and ensure full liquidity in any market environment.

Client Service Team

Morten Meland, CEO

Morten Meland worked at Goldman Sachs Bank AG Zürich for 15 years. Morten built one of the longest serving and most productive teams in the Private Wealth Management business with clients in Europe and Asia. He was instrumental in creating specialized coverage for Family Offices and a Member of the Executive Committee of the Bank. Since 2013, Morten advises a select number of clients and Family Offices on optimal structuring of their investments, sourcing, evaluating and managing strategic ownership positions and overviewing strategic Asset Allocation decisions. He invests privately as well as alongside some of his clients in a limited number of opportunities.

He holds a lic.oec HSG from the University of St. Gallen, speaks Norwegian, German and English.

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Andreas Fredriksen, Operations

Andreas began his career at SDBN primo 2017. He has worked for Sparebanken 1, SR-Bank in Client Servicing and Operations from 2013-2016. He has a Master of Science in Business, with a specialisation in Economics from the Norwegian Business School, BI. Whilst at BI Business School, he served as the student representative to the Board of Directors in 2015 and member of the Election Committee in 2016, as well as Head of the student body. He was also a member of the Board at the Student Society of Stavanger, SIS (2015) and later Chairman in 2016. Andreas speaks Norwegian and English.

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Sayed Rahimi, Operations

Sayed Rahimi began his career at SDBN medio 2017. Prior he held the position as Controller at Aleris Hospital in 2016 and also worked in Medical Research. In addition, he has experience from Unilabs and Handelsbanken. Sayed holds a Master of Science in Business, with a major in Finance, from Oslo Business School, at the OsloMet University. He speaks Norwegian, Farsi and English.

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Board of Directors

Olga Godinho, Chairman of the Board

Olga Godinho started her career in 1987 at Investec Bank. Subsequently she worked at the newly established Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission in a team of 6 including the Chairman, responsible for establishing the framework for listed derivatives and for approving new issuance of derivatives. She joined Goldman Sachs in New York in Equity Derivatives Structured Products, structuring, pricing and risk managing equity derivative solutions to Institutional Clients and Ultra High Net Worth Individuals. In 2000 she set up her business working with select global Clients, advising, negotiating and acquiring high value financial investments, real estate and art.

She holds a MBA from London Business School, speaks Portuguese, English, German and French.

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Knut Bergo, Board Member

Knut Bergo is a partner of Advokatfirmaet Schjødt in Oslo. 2000-2003 he was a partner of Advokatfirmaet Wikborg, Rein & Co, and 2003 -2016 he was a partner of Advokatfirmaet Wiersholm. He specializes in finance law and has written several books and articles on this subject as well as in general legal theory. Knut was admitted to the Norwegian bar in 1994 and holds a Cand. Jur. and a Dr. Jur. degree from the University of Oslo. He speaks Norwegian and English.

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Christian Wist, Board Member

Christian Wist is the CEO of the real estate company NHP Eiendom AS in Trondheim. From 2007 -2015 he was a Partner with Pretor Advokat AS, where he specialized in Technology, Telecom, Contractual and Corporate law. Christian also served as a Trustee in Bankruptcy, appointed by the Court. Prior to Pretor, Christian worked at Telia Marked AS and Enitel AS in connection with the deregulation of the Norwegian telecom industry from 1997 and 1998. Later Christian worked as a lawyer assisting the Trustee adv. Knut Ro managing bankruptcy negotiations in Enitel AS/ASA. He was admitted to the Bar (Adv. fullmektig) in 2000. He holds a Cand. Jur. from the University of Oslo, speaks Norwegian and English.

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The Group

Safe Deposit Bank of Norway is fully owned by Safe Deposit Holding ASA

Christian Wist, Chairman of the Board

Christian Wist is the CEO of the real estate company NHP Eiendom AS in Trondheim. From 2007 -2015 he was a Partner with Pretor Advokat AS, where he specialized in Technology, Telecom, Contractual and Corporate law. Christian also served as a Trustee in Bankruptcy, appointed by the Court. Prior to Pretor, Christian worked at Telia Marked AS and Enitel AS in connection with the deregulation of the Norwegian telecom industry from 1997 and 1998. Later Christian worked as a lawyer assisting the Trustee adv. Knut Ro managing bankruptcy negotiations in Enitel AS/ASA. He was admitted to the Bar (Adv. fullmektig) in 2000. He holds a Cand. Jur. from the University of Oslo, speaks Norwegian and English.

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Olga Godinho, Board Member

Olga Godinho started her career in 1987 at Investec Bank. Subsequently she worked at the newly established Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission in a team of 6 including the Chairman, responsible for establishing the framework for listed derivatives and for approving new issuance of derivatives. She joined Goldman Sachs in New York in Equity Derivatives Structured Products, structuring, pricing and risk managing equity derivative solutions to Institutional Clients and Ultra High Net Worth Individuals. In 2000 she set up her business working with select global Clients, advising, negotiating and acquiring high value financial investments, real estate and art.
She holds a MBA from London Business School, speaks Portuguese, English, German and French.

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Monica Haugan, Board Member

Monica Haugan is the Chairman of the Board of the real estate company Utstillingsplassen Eiendom AS in Norway. Monica has worked in the Treasury of Telenor ASA as Director and Head of Front Office for more than ten years and joined Statkraft AS in 2008 and headed the Front Office Treasury for more than three years. She serves on several boards, including Eidsiva Energi AS. Monica holds a dual MBA from Bocconi in Milan and from the Norwegian School of Economics. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst (Autorisert Finansanalytiker).

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Harry Konterud, Board Member

Harry Konterud held the position as CEO of Sparebanken Hedmark for 25 years, after a 10-year career on top-management level in Norske Skogindustrier AS. He also held the position as Chairman of the Norwegian Savings Banks’ Guarantee Fund during the Norwegian banking crisis in the 1990’s. In 2011 he was awarded the Order of St. Olav by the King for his services in the finance sector. He now holds several positions as chairman and member of the board within finance and industrial companies.

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Daniel Vock, Board Member

Daniel Vock has been an analyst, portfolio manager and investor over his entire career. After having worked with BZ Bank AG and Cantrade Bank AG, he joined 1999 Acorma AG, a single Swiss family office, where he serves in the role of their Chief Investment Officer and as a member of various boards.

Daniel is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and holds a dual MBA from the University of Rochester and the University of Berne, Switzerland. He speaks German, English and French.

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Regulated by the Norwegian Financial Services Authority.