Iceland­ic Eco­nom­ic Weekly: 10 May 2021

Landsbankinn and Drift EA have entered into a partnership agreement aimed at supporting innovation and entrepreneurship in Iceland by strengthening the framework, advisory services and networks available to entrepreneurs and startups.

KLAK – Icelandic Startups and Landsbankinn have renewed their partnership for innovation competition Gulleggið with the signing of a new three-year agreement. With this agreement, Landsbankinn further strengthens its role as the competition’s main sponsor and underscores its long-standing support for Icelandic innovation.

Landsbankinn’s Customer Service Centre and branches will be closed on Christmas Eve Day, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and on New Year’s Day. On New Year’s Eve, branches will be closed but the Customer Service Centre open between 9-12:00.

Community grants in the total amount of ISK 20 million were awarded from Landsbankinn’s Community Fund Monday 8 December 2025. A total of 32 initiatives received financial support this year. The projects are varied and benefit people of all ages and throughout Iceland.

Grandmaster Jóhann Hjartarson was the clear winner at Landsbankinn’s Friðriksmót, the Icelandic rapid chess tournament, held at the Bank’s headquarters at Reykjastræti 6 on 7 December 2025. Jóhann was unstoppable and won with a score of 11½ out of 13, an incredible margin in a strong and exciting tournament.

In early November, Landsbankinn launched its first ever online game, designed to heighten awareness of and knowledge about cybersecurity. By using an interactive media such as the game form, players were made active participants in their own security.

Landsbankinn participates in and is a torchbearer for the initiative Þín íslenska er málið organised by Almannarómur, the Icelandic Centre for Language Technology. The aim of the project is to gather data and sources about the Icelandic use of companies from various sectors. Different industries and business sectors often use a highly specialised vocabulary, concepts and terms that are not commonly used, yet still a crucial part of our linguistic world.

The Central Bank of Iceland has determined that New Year’s Eve, 31 December, will not be counted as a banking day going forward.

The lights will be lit on the Hamburg Christmas tree for the 60th time on 29 November at 17:00 during a festive ceremony and to the accompaniment of merry music, courtesy of the Hafnarfjörður Brass Band.

Landsbankinn lowers loan and deposits rates. Variable rates on non-indexed housing mortgages decrease by 0.25 pp. Fixed rates on new housing mortgages decrease by 0.10-0.20 pp.