Banking sector overview | Banking today and tomorrow | June 2025

5 June 2025 | Banking today and tomorrow, Knowledge, News

Banks unable to finance transition projects

“The Polish banking sector is unable to take on the challenges of financing huge transition projects,” said Tadeusz Białek, President of the Polish Bank Association. He added that even if they joined forces in a consortium, Polish banks would not be able to finance a project larger than PLN 53 billion.

Source: Biznes Alert, Banki nie są w stanie finansować projektów transformacyjnych

EFC 2025: President of the KNF discusses the Polish financial market in the face of global challenges

Geopolitical turbulence will have a significant impact on the economy, including the Polish financial market, which, however, is well prepared for these global challenges. ‘The financial market is stable, banks are well capitalised, and the capital market has high development potential,’ said Jacek Jastrzębski, President of the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF), during the 15^th edition of the European Financial Congress in Sopot.

Source: Bank.pl, EKF 2025: przewodniczący KNF nt. polskiego rynku finansowego wobec globalnych wyzwań

PZU and Bank Pekao planning to merge. A market giant is set to be formed

Poland’s largest insurer and second-largest bank have signed a memorandum of cooperation to merge. The resulting entity will be one of the largest financial institutions in Europe.

Source: Parkiet.pl, PZU i Bank Pekao chcą się połączyć. Powstanie rynkowy gigant – parkiet.com

VeloBank is acquiring the retail arm of Citi Handlowy. The banks have signed an agreement

VeloBank has signed a conditional agreement to acquire Citi Handlowy’s retail arm. According to an announcement published by Bank Handlowy, the transaction will be closed once the required regulatory approvals have been received and operational readiness is achieved, which is expected mid-2026.

Source: Interia Biznes, https://biznes.interia.pl/gospodarka/news-velobank-kupuje-czesc-detaliczna-citi-handlowego-umowa-miedz,nId,7973252#utm_source=paste&utm_medium=paste&utm_campaign=chrome

Blik plans foreign expansion; it wants to invite CEE banks to invest

Blik is set on foreign expansion. To this end, it is developing an equity strategy and intends to invite banks from the CEE region to invest, said Szymon Midera, CEO of PKO BP, speaking to journalists backstage at the European Financial Congress in Sopot.

“The Blik Supervisory Board has approved the company’s goal of conducting extensive foreign expansion. We see a chance that, in the next few years, Blik will reach similar volumes in the wider CEE region as it does currently in Poland. This expansion is necessary because it is difficult to increase market share in Poland in the long term. This is what the work on Blik’s equity strategy entails,” said Szymon Midera, PKO BP’s CEO.

Source: Strefa Inwestorów, Blik planuje ekspansję zagraniczną; chce zaprosić banki z CEE do inwestycji

The Ministry of Finance is not planning to introduce taxes on excess profits. Banks are safe

According to a response to a parliamentary interpellation, the Ministry of Finance has ruled out investigating the introduction of a tax on banks’ excess profits. The ministry stresses that the banking sector already provides significant support to the state budget through existing tax solutions. The Ministry of Finance has published a position paper noting that current analytical efforts are focused on improving the efficiency of Poland’s tax systems. The paper explains that banks have been subject to a so-called bank tax for years, which aims to increase their contribution to state spending. “In 2024, revenues of more than PLN 6 billion have been declared from this tax” the ministry reported.

Source: Business Insider, Ministerstwo finansów: nie będzie podatku od nadmiarowych zysków banków

How do Poles rate their banks? In this respect, we differ from the rest of Europe

Over the past two years, the percentage of Poles willing to recommend their bank to friends has increased by 8 percentage points, reaching 55%. Unlike in other European countries, we also prefer physical banks to digital ones.

Source: Gazeta Prawna, Jak Polacy oceniają swoje banki? Pod tym względem wyróżniamy się na tle Europy – GazetaPrawna.pl

The first bank in Poland introduces payment rings

Bank Pekao is introducing payment rings to the Polish market. This is the first solution of its kind in Poland, as emphasised by Puls Biznesu. The newspaper adds that in the mid-1990s, the bank paved the way by offering its customers credit cards, which were a complete novelty in Poland at the time.

Source: Money.pl, Pierwszy bank w Polsce wprowadza obrączki płatnicze – Money.pl

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Latest Knowledge

Banking in 2026: technology, regulation and the new market landscape

The year 2026 will see the banking sector undergo its most dynamic transformation in a decade. The trends identified in Accenture’s Top Banking Trends FY26 report suggest that the sector is entering a phase in which technology and regulation will be inseparable, driving all aspects of change. However, it is regulation that determines the boundaries, pace and manner of implementation for new solutions. We take a look at what else the experts are focusing on.

The first-year pitfall – reporting on the separate collection rate under the deposit-return system for 2025

The deposit-return system came into operation on 1 October 2025. Some businesses joined immediately, while others opted to do so at a later date. At first glance, this may seem like a mere organisational matter. In practice, however, the timing of joining the system can significantly affect the outcome of accounting for the separate collection rate in 2025.

The new National Cybersecurity System

The amendment to the Act on the National Cybersecurity System (UKSC) is one of the most significant regulatory reforms in recent years. Its main objective is to align Polish law with Directive (EU) 2022/2555 of the European Parliament and of the Council. The directive, also known as NIS2, substantially raises digital security requirements across the Union. The Polish Act on the National Cybersecurity System has undergone a thorough overhaul, covering more organisations (with estimates suggesting nearly 40,000 entities), introducing more demanding obligations, statutory personal liability for management board members, and even more stringent rules for imposing financial penalties. In the case of the most serious violations, these penalties can reach 100 million PLN.

‘Made in Europe’ is no longer just a slogan. It is becoming law

Until recently, ‘Made in Europe’ was just a label. While it was useful for marketing purposes, it lacked any hard, normative content. This may soon change. On 4 March, the European Commission published a proposal for the Industrial Accelerator Act, stipulating that, from 2027 onwards, the Union origin of components will be a prerequisite for participating in renewable energy auctions, accessing public funding, and for being eligible to participate in public procurement procedures. The slogan ‘Buy European’ could become a concrete instrument for supporting local production and controlling foreign investment.

Non-obvious cases of transferring an establishment to a new employer

The transfer of all or part of an establishment (zakład pracy) is a special concept in labour law relating to changes in ownership. Put simply, it is the automatic transfer of all the rights and obligations of the employer from one entity to another, without the need for any additional actions or consents from the parties involved. However, this must be preceded by the fulfilment of a range of informing obligations by both the new and former employers. Let’s take a look at what the process should involve.

New right to withdraw from a company – draft amendment to the Commercial Companies Code

The Civil Law Codification Commission has adopted and published a draft amendment to the Commercial Companies Code. The proposed changes include new mechanisms to strengthen shareholder protection in capital companies, enabling shareholders to request to leave their respective companies.

Protecting yourself against tax risks in the deposit-return system

The deposit-return system has been in place since October 2025, raising significant tax concerns from the outset. Although the regulations came into force, it was unclear for a long time how to apply them in practice. Some of the regulations needed clarification, some solutions were missing and the published explanations did not cover all the key issues. Consequently, the market began to develop its own operating standards.

Banking sector overview | Banking today and tomorrow | March 2026

On 12 February 2026, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) issued a judgment concerning the use of the WIBOR index in loan agreements. The CJEU judges confirmed that, in consumer cases, courts cannot examine the correctness of the WIBOR calculation. The banks had correctly informed their clients about the reference rate in accordance with national and EU law.

The issue of the National Labour Inspectorate reform has resurfaced

A new draft law proposing changes to the way the National Labour Inspectorate operates has been submitted to the Sejm. During its first reading on 25 February, the draft was not rejected and was therefore referred to the Social Policy and Family Committee for further consideration. Despite the concerns and controversies raised so far, including by businesses, the legislature continues to pursue the thorough modernisation of Poland’s employment model, which involves increased supervision of the labour market and curbing the abuse of civil law contracts. In this article, we will take a look at the proposals included in the new draft and explain what they mean for businesses.

Energy Radar 2026: Unlocking connection capacity thanks to connections reform – draft UC84 / Sejm print no. 2150

The Polish power system has reached a turning point. While the energy transition is gaining momentum and technological limitations are no longer an issue, connection capacity has become a problem. The UC84[1] draft law, commonly referred to as the Connections Reform, is the response to this crisis.

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