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Banking sector overview | Banking today and tomorrow | July 2026

6 July 2026 | Banking today and tomorrow, Knowledge, News

The end of WIBOR draws near: banks will be required to put new offers to their customers

Under the draft legislation, banks will be required to offer existing borrowers a switch from WIBOR-based to POLSTR-based interest rates, a mechanism intended to speed up the voluntary transition of financial instruments to the new benchmark. The banking sector has responded positively to the proposal, according to Tadeusz Białek, President of the Polish Bank Association.

Source:  Bankier.pl

Borrowers to receive proposals to move away from WIBOR

The Ministry of Finance is giving banks nine months to offer borrowers a switch from WIBOR to either a new benchmark rate or a fixed rate. The move follows the recent decision to phase out the benchmark currently used to calculate loan interest rates.

Source: Rzeczpospolita

The PSR will not relieve customers of the need to think for themselves

The PSR places considerable emphasis on implementing measures to combat fraudulent transactions, and this is to be welcomed. The Regulation also stresses the importance of consumer education, which means that, for once, it does not absolve customers of responsibility or the need to exercise their own judgement, notes Katarzyna Urbańska, Head of the Legal and Legislative Team at the Polish Bank Association. Interview by Sławomir Dolecki.

Source: Bank.pl

Record mortgage lending in Poland. Credit growth accelerates as credit cards lose ground

Rising borrowing capacity, stabilising property prices and refinancing activity have pushed mortgage sales in Poland close to record levels. Instalment and cash loan volumes also increased, whilst the number of credit cards issued declined. According to a report published on Tuesday by the Credit Information Bureau, in May 2026, banks and credit and savings unions (SKOKs) extended 27,600 loans, which is 46.9% more than a year earlier. On a month-on-month basis, this represents a 5.3% decrease. In value terms, mortgage sales grew by nearly 59% year-on-year, reaching PLN 13.129 billion. Month-on-month, the figure also fell by 4.2%, but April had been the strongest month on record in this regard.

Source: Business Insider

NetB@nk Report: 27.7 million active mobile banking users

According to the latest NetB@nk report, prepared by the Polish Bank Association, the number of active mobile banking app users rose to 27.7 million in Q1 2026. This represents an increase of 2.2% compared to the previous quarter and 9.0% compared to a year earlier. Furthermore, over 21 million customers used mobile apps as their sole banking channel. By contrast, the number of active online banking users fell to 20.8 million. The figures point to a clear shift in everyday banking activity towards the mobile channel.

Source: Polish Bank Association

Your loan is assessed by an algorithm. Banks reveal how the new system works

Banks now routinely use artificial intelligence in their lending processes. And this is not necessarily a cause for concern, as both sides stand to benefit. Even so, questions about the risks these technologies pose to customers cannot be ignored. The scale of AI adoption across Polish banks is a natural consequence of years of digitalisation and automation, an area in which the Polish banking sector ranks among European leaders. Increasingly, AI is also finding its way into the most critical processes, including those related to credit decisions and customer creditworthiness assessment systems.

Source: Rzeczpospolita

Introduction to greenwashing risk identification and mitigation in the banking sector. Second edition

The second edition of the publication Introduction to greenwashing risk identification and mitigation in the banking sector responds to the growing importance of the credibility of environmental claims and the transparency of actions taken in the field of sustainable development. In recent years, combating greenwashing has become one of the key challenges facing financial market participants, regulators and supervisory authorities, and its significance is growing alongside the development of ESG regulations and rising stakeholder expectations.

Source: Polish Bank Association

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