Nordic Countries in February 2026: the most important developments in economy
In February 2026, the Nordic countries' business news was led by the pharmaceutical industry. On February 24 Novo Nordisk said it would cut the US list prices of its weight-loss drug Wegovy and its diabetes medication Ozempic by up to 50%, with the reductions taking effect in 2027. The company said the move responds to mounting pressure over the cost of the treatments. Pharmaceuticals were also cited as a key driver of current economic growth in Denmark, and a survey put Denmark ahead of other European countries in the use of artificial intelligence.
Company restructuring and product news came next. Pandora's new chief executive is turning towards platinum jewellery to reduce reliance on volatile silver prices. Volvo Cars reported a 7% fall in sales volumes for the November to January period and is recalling 40,000 electric SUVs worldwide over a possible battery fire risk; its new XC70 electric SUV reached the German market. Maersk announced plans to lay off up to 1,000 office staff, Swedish bank SEB will cut 500 jobs in France and move research and development operations to Asia, and Foodora is ending food delivery in Finland.
Capital markets and large contracts formed a further group. A sell-off in software stocks threatened to delay the planned €19 billion London listing of Norwegian software company Visma. Finnish quantum computing company IQM is set to list on the US stock market. Siemens and Stadler won a billion-euro contract to supply and maintain electric trains for Denmark's national railway operator DSB, and a new rail route will link Malmö and Oslo via Gothenburg.
Energy and the wider region also featured. A US court lifted a suspension on Ørsted's US offshore wind projects, allowing work on a second Danish-owned project to resume. In Greenland, lawmakers pushed a foreign investment screening law, citing wariness of US investors, and France and Canada opened diplomatic missions in Nuuk. Moscow warned the Faroe Islands over their implementation of anti-Russian sanctions, and the Swedish foreign minister called Hungary's block on an EU loan for Ukraine 'illogical'.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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