SWEDISH bank Handelsbanken has opened its first branch in Kent. The Maidstone office is the bank’s 19th in England.

It is operating from a temporary base in Kent House before moving next month to Colman House.

Four managers have joined the bank, which has operated in this country for more than 20 years. Jonathan Watson, who formerly worked for the Royal Bank of Scotland in Maidstone and has spent 15 years in corporate banking, is branch manager.

He said the bank aimed to give direct access to customers and did not use call centres.

He said: "I am excited at the opportunity of bringing a new bank to Kent. Our decentralised approach is a throwback to traditional banking where the customer deals with a local professional who has the power to make decisions.

"The business will be built around the customer rather than a centrally generated sales target."