Ecster AB

Ecster AB is a Swedish credit market company and payment provider that was owned by Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ) and focused on point‑of‑sale financing and checkout services for merchants, primarily in Sweden with some operations in Finland. The business offered invoice and installment options and a proprietary store card, together with an e‑commerce checkout integrating multiple payment methods. Ecster did not accept deposits and is not a bank; consumer protection for its lending products fell under Swedish consumer credit rules rather than the state deposit guarantee. In 2022, Handelsbanken announced the discontinuation of Ecster’s operations and began terminating merchant agreements; during 2022–2023 the company stopped onboarding new merchants and consumers, and parts of the portfolio were transferred or allowed to run off. Existing credit agreements have continued to be administered according to original terms until closed or transferred to another institution. Pricing varied by merchant programme and product, typically involving arrangement fees, monthly account fees, and interest for longer‑term installments; late‑payment charges and collection procedures applied under applicable law. The wind‑down shifted Ecster’s servicing toward managing existing balances and customer support rather than new sales. For consumers, key points are that outstanding credit remains enforceable during the wind‑down and disputes can be escalated to the National Board for Consumer Disputes (ARN) if not resolved with the company. For merchants, the discontinuation required migration to alternative checkout and financing providers, with data handling subject to Swedish and, where relevant, Finnish data protection law.