Danmarks Nationalbank (English: Danish National Bank; in Danish often simply Nationalbanken) is the central bank of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is a non-eurozone member of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB). Since its establishment in 1818, objective of the Nationalbank as an independent and credible institution is to issue the Danish currency, the krone, and ensure its stability. The Board of Governors holds full responsibility for the monetary policy.[2]
The building which houses the bank's headquarters was designed by the renowned architect Arne Jacobsen, in collaboration with Hans Dissing and Otto Weitling. After Jacobsen's death, his office, renamed Dissing+Weitling, has brought the construction to completion.
Danmarks Nationalbank undertakes all functions related to the management of the Danish central-government debt. The division of responsibility is set out in an agreement between the Ministry of Finance of Denmark and Danmarks Nationalbank.
Danish and Faroesebanknotes are printed at Danmarks Nationalbank's Banknote Printing Works.[3] This will end during 2016, when the printing of banknotes will be outsourced due to less demand for cash, and cut in expenses of 100 million kroner until 2020.[4]
The bank was established on 1 August 1818 by King Frederick VI of Denmark. The private bank was given a 90-year monopoly on currency issue, which was extended in 1907 out to 1938. In 1914, the National Bank became the sole banker for the Danish government. The bank became fully independent of the government in 1936.
The Board of Governors consists of three members. The Chairman of the Board of Governors is Governor by Royal Appointment. The two other Governors are appointed by the Board of Directors.
The official logo of the bank is a nineteenth-century version of Denmark's coat of arms showing the insignia of Denmark, Schleswig, and Holstein. The two latter provinces were lost in the 1864 Second War of Schleswig, and the bank is the only official Danish institution still using this insignia. Since the late 19th century, coins minted by the bank carry a heart-shaped mint mark. Before this time, the Mint used a mark showing the royal crown.
