Estonia's banks following LHV's claim before taking action

Estonian banks have not yet decided whether to take action after LHV Bank notified the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) claiming that it had gained unlawful access to its data.
LHV is claiming €247,000,000 from the FIU over the alleged unlawful access of the bank's data, including transactions and bank account statements, over a five year period.
The bank believes the FIU actively obtained and unlawfully accessed its clients' bank account statements 1,289 times, between January 1, 2020, and July 18, 2025.
FIU head Matis Mäeker told ERR it had followed the law.
Other banks are following the case and looking at their options, Saturday's "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.
SEB Bank board member Peep Jalakas said the bank is reviewing the situation to clarify its options.
"SEB has not yet made a decision regarding the use of a contractual penalty claim. Our view is that such penalties are included in agreements so that they don't need to be enforced, and so that all parties in the contract have an incentive to fulfill their duty of care. We are currently in open dialogue with the state to gain clarity on whether our clients' data was and continues to be well protected," he told the shwo.
Arthur Taavet, acting head of Bigbank's Estonian business unit, said the bank has considered the possibility of filing a claim.
"Of course, we have considered it, and it has been a very important topic of internal discussion. As a country that has aimed to be a digital society pioneer, this kind of disorder — especially in the banking sector — is completely unacceptable," he said.
Taavet said the bank is "analyzing, reflecting, and watching" LHV's claim.
"But as a young bank — we've only been offering personal bank accounts for a few months — the scale of the issue is not yet so large or acute for us. Still, as we enter the retail banking market, we very much hope to see regulatory clarity," he told the show.
Taavet did not rule out the possibility of filing a claim in the future. "But we are all looking for legal clarity here," he added.
Coop Bank Chairman of the Management Board Heikko Mäe said he expects a clear message from the state about how the situation will be resolved.
"Credit institutions themselves lack both the ability and the obligation to verify the legality of inquiries made through the enforcement register," he noted.
"Therefore, the bank assumes that any state authority granted access to the enforcement register has a legal basis for it. If it later turns out this was not always the case, Coop Bank is prepared to consider further steps," the chairman added.
Swedbank Estonia CEO Olavi Lepp told ERR that Swedbank is monitoring the situation but that it is currently too early to speculate on possible actions the bank may take.
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Editor: Helen Wright, Johanna Alvin
Source: Aktuaalne kaamera