
The new wellbeing services counties began their operations
in the beginning of 2023. The operative work of the wellbeing
services counties is being largely funded by the central
government, but the counties have government authorisation
to acquire long-term funding for their investments. The
counties can also independently seek short-term funding. In
terms of financing, MuniFin may continue to act as a lender
and counterparty to the loans and other liabilities that were
transferred to the counties at the start of 2023. The Act
on the Municipal Guarantee Board allows MuniFin to also
finance new investments and other new financing needs by
the wellbeing services counties. According to the Finnish
Financial Supervisory Authority (FIN-FSA) decision that like
the central government and municipalities, wellbeing services
counties will also fall in the zero-risk category in the capital
adequacy regulation of credit institutions. This decision
simplified the counties’ financing arrangements because it
means that government guarantees are not required.
At this stage, wellbeing services counties are not liable for
the guarantees for MuniFin’s funding used for wellbeing
services counties’ financing, because unlike municipalities,
wellbeing services counties are not members of the
Municipal Guarantee Board (MGB). For this reason, the
MGB has decided to set an annual limit to the amount of new
financing MuniFin can grant to wellbeing services counties.
The MGB’s limit for MuniFin’s new long-term financing
to wellbeing services counties was EUR 400 million in
2025 (EUR 400 million). The MGB’s limit for MuniFin’s new
short-term financing to wellbeing services counties, i.e.
commercial papers to wellbeing services counties, was EUR
900 million in 2025 (EUR 900 million). The limits for 2026 are
the same as in 2025.
The housing customer group consists of different types
of housing institutions: institutions owned or controlled
by municipalities (or joint municipal authorities) and state-
subsidised housing institutions and also companies that are
wholly owned or under control of wellbeing services counties
or joint county authorities for wellbeing services. Loans for
housing companies owned by municipalities or joint municipal
authorities are guaranteed by municipalities, or these loans
can also be categorised as state-subsidised housing loans.
In such cases there is a real estate collateral and a deficiency
guarantee from the State of Finland. State-subsidised
housing institutions are defined as corporations designated
by state authority and engaged in the renting or production
and maintenance of housing, or corporations controlled
by them. Housing companies are designated by Varke, the
Centre for State-subsidised Housing Construction operating
in connection with the Ministry of the Environment. The
functions of ARA, the Housing Finance and Development
Centre, ended as an independent agency at the end of
February 2025, and were transferred at the beginning of
March 2025 to become part of Varke. The change was related
to the development of the administration of state-subsidised
housing production. The reform had no impact on the Group’s
business operations.
Loans for housing companies have a deficiency guarantee
from the State of Finland that covers the residual risk over the
collateral value of the respective property. When a loan has a
deficiency guarantee by the State of Finland, primary pledge
of mortgage collateral is mainly required unless the loan is a
state-subsidised housing loan granted for a municipality or
a joint municipal authority in which case there is no collateral
required by law. The amount of the primary pledge must be
at least 1.3 times the amount of the loan. Under deficiency
guarantee, the State of Finland is responsible for the primary
debt in respect of the part that is not covered from the
liquidation of the mortgage collateral.
Despite MuniFin Group’s business model, which is based
on zero risk-weighting customers, the Group has a risk
rating system for all customers, which assigns a risk score
to the customer as part of the credit granting process. In
addition, independent Risk Management prepares an annual
analysis of all customers, which identifies their respective
risk rating. The annual analysis and update of the risk rating
is based on the financial statements, the report of the board
of directors and other available information. The analysis
takes into account the environmental, social and governance
risks (ESG) insofar as information about the customer is
available for assessment. The assessment highlights the
potential impacts of climate and environmental risks, which
may materialise to customers either directly as physical
risks or as transition risks related to preparing for climate
change. The customer’s risk rating will affect the need for
Municipality Finance Plc • Annual Report 2025
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Report of the Board of Directors Consolidated Financial Statements Parent Company’s Financial Statements