Founded 1987 in Stockholm
Magnus Åberg, Elsa Lindqvist, and Johan Bergström founded Emirates PD in April 1987 in a single rented room on Birger Jarlsgatan. All three had previously worked at Ericsson on the AXE telephone exchange — a system designed to run for decades and still operational in over 130 countries today.
They had a simple thesis: enterprise software ought to be built with the same engineering rigour as telecommunications infrastructure. In 1987 this was an unfashionable view. Almost forty years later, our oldest production system is still running.
The firm grew slowly and deliberately. We moved to Strandvägen in 1996, opened the Gothenburg office in 1998, and Malmö in 2009. We have never been acquired, never gone public, and never accepted outside investment.
How We Work
- Build for the long term. Software outlives the people who write it. We optimise for the engineer who will read this code in 2045.
- Client confidentiality is absolute. We do not name clients in marketing material. References are provided in writing on request.
- Boring technology wins. We choose tools that have been in production for at least a decade, except when there is a compelling reason not to.
- Honest counsel. If a client doesn't need what they're asking for, we say so. We have lost engagements this way and consider it a price worth paying.
- We stay. We don't hand over a project and disappear. Our standard engagement includes ongoing maintenance for the lifetime of the system.
Company Timeline
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1987 | Emirates PD AB incorporated in Stockholm. Three founders, one rented room. |
| 1991 | First major engagement: core banking system for a Stockholm savings bank. Still in production today. |
| 1996 | Moved to current Stockholm office at Strandvägen 7. Headcount reaches 32. |
| 1998 | Gothenburg office opened to serve maritime and shipping clients. |
| 2003 | Cyber Security practice formally established. Headcount reaches 100. |
| 2009 | Malmö office opened. ISO 27001 certification achieved. |
| 2014 | SOC 2 Type II audit completed. Headcount reaches 250. |
| 2021 | Machine Intelligence practice established under Dr. Astrid Svensson. |
| 2024 | Argent Ledger settlement system goes into production at a Nordic central bank. |
| 2026 | 412 employees, SEK 1.42 billion in annual revenue, 9th practice area established. |
By the Numbers
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | SEK 1,420 m | SEK 1,311 m |
| Operating profit | SEK 287 m | SEK 261 m |
| Headcount (year end) | 412 | 388 |
| Active client engagements | 187 | 179 |
| Average client tenure | 14.2 yrs | 13.9 yrs |
| Employee voluntary turnover | 3.1% | 2.8% |
| R&D investment (% of revenue) | 11.4% | 10.9% |