Arion Bank at the Arc­tic Circle

Arion Bank took part in the Arctic Circle Assembly 2026, which was held at Harpa and Reykjavík EDITION from 8 to 10 October.

This year, the conference attracted more than 2,300 participants from over 70 countries, with around 700 speakers taking part in more than 200 sessions.

The Blue Economy

On this occasion, Arion Bank hosted two roundtable discussions at the Arctic Circle.

The first was entitled The Blue Economy and focused on investment and lending in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors and related industries. The panel noted that significant development is expected in aquaculture and that financing for such projects will need to be secured. There are also opportunities for companies that utilize by-products, as Kerecis has demonstrated. Guðmundur Fertram Sigurjónsson, the company’s founder, took part in the discussion.

Rúnar Magni Jónsson, Head of Fisheries and Services, moderated the roundtable discussion.

Infrastructure development in the Arctic

The second roundtable was entitled Infrastructure in the Arctic. The discussion focused on planned infrastructure investment in the Arctic. It was noted that little progress had been made in recent years, but that many major projects were now in the pipeline. Much of the discussion centred on how to secure financing for these projects, bring together investors and those responsible for their development, and reduce the risks associated with investments of this kind.

Benedikt Gíslason, CEO of Arion Bank, moderated the discussion.

Rethinking investment in the Arctic

Einar Pálmi Sigmundsson, from Arion Bank’s Corporate & Investment Banking division, also took part in a panel discussion entitled Rewriting the Arctic Investment Narrative.

Among the points raised was that the region has gained new strategic and economic significance in recent years, but that more needs to be done to get major infrastructure investments off the ground. The issue is not a lack of capital, but rather the need to align investment projects more closely with the requirements of investors and lenders.

A diverse group of conference participants

The Arctic Circle Assembly is an international forum for discussion of issues concerning the Arctic and has grown considerably in recent years, attracting worldwide attention. The event brought together people from around the world and from a wide range of sectors and industries, including government, finance, business, academia, the media and beyond.