Banking sector overview | Banking today and tomorrow | June 2026

3 June 2026 | Banking today and tomorrow, Knowledge, News

WIBOR to remain in place until the end of 2036

According to a statement published by GPW Benchmark, the reference rate administrator, and the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF), which oversees the administrator, 31 December 2036 will be the last day on which the WIBID and WIBOR rates will be provided for all key fixing periods: 1 month (1M), 3 months (3M) and 6 months (6M).

Source: Związek Banków Polskich

New powers for the KNF. The government has adopted a draft amendment to the Banking Law

The government has adopted a draft amendment to the Banking Law Act and certain other acts (UC96). The amendment aims to align national legislation with the EU regulatory package on capital requirements for financial institutions, known as CRD VI/CRR III. Among other things, the draft provides for an enhanced role for the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF) in personnel processes within banks. The KNF will be required to approve the appointment of members of management boards and chairs of supervisory boards of the largest banks, as well as to assess the qualifications of heads of internal audit units and chief financial officers.

Source: Prawo.pl

Government working on changes to the KNF. New obligations for banks

The government intends to introduce term limits for the positions of Chair and Deputy Chair of the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF), grant the authority new supervisory powers and require banks to notify the KNF of significant changes. In addition, changes to a bank’s management board would be subject to the KNF’s prior approval.

Source: Interia Biznes

Bank profits down 30%. The sector is paying the price for falling interest rates and record-high taxation

Despite robust demand for credit among Polish borrowers, the Polish Bank Association (ZBP) forecasts that banks’ net profits may decline to PLN 35 billion this year. This is attributable to falling interest income, rising costs and, of course, the increase in corporate income tax applicable to the sector.

Source: Rzeczpospolita

Banks were counting on decades of interest payments. Poles are paying off their mortgages much earlier

A mortgage doesn’t have to be a lifelong financial burden. In Poland, the average repayment period for mortgage loans is declining rapidly and currently stands at just 9 years. The reason? Rapidly rising incomes and a persistent aversion to living on credit.

Source: Rzeczpospolita

ZBP Report: “Energy Factors Affecting the Competitiveness of the Polish Economy within the European Union”

The report addresses one of the most pressing challenges facing the Polish economy: the impact of energy prices, energy mix composition and energy transition costs on business competitiveness, national economic security and long-term growth prospects. From the banking sector’s perspective, the scale of investment required for the modernisation of the energy sector, the development of renewable energy sources, nuclear energy, grid infrastructure and energy storage is particularly noteworthy. The effective financing of these processes will require active participation by the financial sector, together with the establishment of appropriate regulatory, capital and legal frameworks for financing long-term strategic investments.

Source: Bank.pl

Leading global economy to deploy latest ChatGPT in banking

Artificial intelligence, which can itself serve as a tool for cyberattacks, is increasingly being used to defend against them. Japanese banks have been granted access to OpenAI’s latest model, a development that the government in Tokyo regards as a significant enhancement to the security of the entire financial system.

Source: Business Insider

The economy in 2026: the IMF’s assessment in an era of systemic shocks

The latest forecasts from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), presented during the spring meetings in Washington, point to a slowdown in global growth. This is attributable to the war in Iran and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which have triggered the most significant shock to the energy market to date.

The early months of 2026 were marked by cautious but clear optimism. The global economy, after years of grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic and the shocks stemming from Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, appeared to be entering a phase of stabilisation. The private sector demonstrated an impressive capacity to adapt to trade barriers, whilst the technology boom driven by artificial intelligence began to deliver tangible productivity gains. The IMF’s January 2026 forecasts projected growth of 3.3% for 2026, representing an upward revision of 0.2 percentage points compared to the autumn forecasts. By the end of 2025, annualised global economic growth had accelerated to 3.9%, providing a solid foundation for upward revisions. The data were sufficiently encouraging that the IMF’s January 2026 assumptions even suggested the possibility of raising the GDP growth outlook to 3.4% for 2026, reflecting the strong growth momentum from late 2025 and the milder-than-expected impact of tariff policy.

Source: Obserwator Finansowy

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Latest Knowledge

Announcement of Income Tax Reform

On 19 August, during a press conference, the Prime Minister announced a package of tax changes planned for next year. According to the announcement, the reform is intended, on the one hand, to ease the burden on the middle class and, on the other, to shift a greater fiscal burden onto the wealthiest individuals and the largest companies. We take a look at the proposals included in the announced package and explain what they might mean for taxpayers.

Family foundations and the tax authorities: what draft bill UD447 proposes and why this is not the end of the troubles

Family foundations were intended to provide entrepreneurs with a stable framework for intergenerational wealth management. Yet not even four years have passed since the first such foundations were established, and the rules governing their taxation are set to be changed once again. This is because the scale of interest and the practical problems uncovered have overwhelmed the drafters of the legislation, as best illustrated by the figures – 927 applications for individual tax rulings and 77 opinions issued from the Head of the National Revenue Administration. This does not, however, mean that family foundations are being used on a massive scale for aggressive tax optimisation. A significant proportion of the queries concerned simply how to correctly apply the complex regulations.

NIS2 and the National Cybersecurity System Act in transport: what you need to do before October 2026

The amended Act on the National Cybersecurity System (UKSC) has been in force since 3 April 2026. For transport sector undertakings, this means a specific compliance timeline, including an obligation to register with the National Cybersecurity System (KSC) registry by 3 October 2026. Failure to do so may result in substantial financial penalties, coupled with the risk of personal liability for senior management. Not every undertaking, however, automatically falls within the scope of the new regime. Read on to find out whether your organisation is affected and what you need to do before the deadline for preparation.

Family foundations: the government has done the maths and presented the bill

Three years. That’s how long we’ve been waiting for what the Council of Ministers had seen in the data from the outset – and has now disclosed in its review of the Family Foundation Act. The document not only diagnoses the problems, but also previews substantial changes to rules that founders and their advisers treated as settled and stable. And therein lies a problem that goes far beyond tax matters. If the rules of the game are changed while the game is being played, there can be neither planning stability nor trust in the law. It is no coincidence that one of the greatest concerns among entrepreneurs considering setting up a foundation is not the level of taxation, but the stability of the legal framework – which today is once again being called into question.

What the new swiss franc act means for banks

We now have a new Act on Special Measures for the Adjudication of Cases Concerning Loan Agreements Denominated in or Indexed to the Swiss Franc. The provisions come into force 14 days after publication. So now is a good time to look at what lies ahead and what banks should be doing today.

Don’t miss the deadline for fulfilling your transfer pricing obligations

Transfer pricing has for many years been one of the main areas of focus for tax authorities. In practice, this means that transactions between related parties are subject to heightened scrutiny, and the associated documentation obligations are among those most frequently audited.

New draft Pay Transparency Act – what has changed since December 2025?

A second version of the draft act on strengthening the application of the right to equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women has now been published. It refines procedures and deadlines and introduces a new supervisory body. We have already discussed the changes affecting the recruitment stage and the three pillars of the forthcoming pay transparency framework, noting that Poland will miss the EU transposition deadline of 7 June 2026. Now, we take a closer look at the further changes, new developments and risks that have emerged in the latest, April version of the draft.

Payment Services Regulation (PSR) – between consumer protection and due diligence

The draft Payment Services Regulation (PSR) is one of the most significant elements of the reform of the EU legal framework for payment services. Its principal aim is to enhance the security of cashless transactions and to reduce the scale of financial fraud, in particular that arising from the growth of digital channels. At the same time, the new rules are intended to introduce a liability model that will not result in risk being transferred entirely to financial institutions, whilst retaining an important role for independent due diligence on the part of the user.

Energy deregulation – key changes for businesses and energy consumers

The President has now signed the Energy Deregulation Act (UDER92). The new provisions cover both the relationships between energy undertakings and consumers, and matters relating to investment, district heating, and the administrative obligations of energy market participants. The Act introduces changes in the areas of billing, communication with consumers, grid connection, and the operations of undertakings in the energy and district heating sectors. We set out the key points to note.

Banking sector overview | Banking today and tomorrow | July 2026

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.