Åsa Lindhagen took office as the new Minister of Financial Markets in February after previously being Minister for Gender Equality.
Around the same time, SVT Nyheter began its review of the profitable fund industry.
A number of features and articles have been about, among other things, hidden fee structures, about expensive and bad funds and about very large price differences on similar fund products.
Åsa Lindhagen points out that according to the relatively new stricter legislation on financial products, fund companies may not put their interests before the customer.
That is not always the case, according to the Minister.
- There are clear examples where you have not had the best interests of the savers in mind in different situations, she says.
Do you think that the rules that exist now are sufficient?
- We have tightened the legislation.
It is both about reporting more clearly whether a fund is actively managed so that you can decide whether a fund is too expensive or not and that you should recommend what is best for the individual small saver.
This is legislation that Finansinspektionen must also follow up.
How do you see that a large responsibility lies with the customer who has to read half-yearly reports to see if a fund is active or not?
- If we see that there is a need to tighten the legislation or take more measures, I am no stranger to doing so, says Åsa Lindhagen.
Sees need for regulation
Åsa Lindhagen does not believe that control of the financial industry can only be based on self-regulation.
- An important insight when it comes to the financial crisis around 2008 is that it is not the case that politics should completely abdicate, but that it actually requires legislation and order and order to create security.
This is also incredibly important in preventing future crises.
And that we have stability in the financial market because the economic crises that can occur affect the whole society.
It is very clear that we have a need for regulation, she says.