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Banking sector overview | Banking today and tomorrow | May 2026

5 May 2026 | Banking today and tomorrow, Knowledge, News

CJEU ruling on Swiss franc mortgage loans. Banks issue firm statement

“The end of the dream of free housing” – this is how the Polish Bank Association (Związek Banków Polskich) has characterised Thursday’s judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union in cases concerning whether the claims of financial institutions against CHF mortgage borrowers have become time-barred.

Source: Business Insider

CJEU: Despite the invalidation of the amendment on the basis of which a loan was converted into a different currency, the original agreement remains in force

The invalidity of the amendment does not lead to the automatic invalidation of the original agreement. The original agreement contains all the elements necessary for its performance. The judgment provides an interpretation of EU law, and rulings in individual cases are a matter for the national courts.

Source: Bank.pl

Loans, deposits and outdated technology. Banks battle market debt

The modernisation of core banking systems – i.e., the banks’ centralised IT platforms – presents numerous challenges, ranging from deciding whether to upgrade or replace them entirely, to ensuring security and operational continuity. However, this process is necessary, as experts emphasise that these systems are already operating at the limits of their capacity. They also need to be adapted to accommodate new technologies.

Source: Bankier.pl

Poland will not experience a housing bubble – we are not wealthy enough

“The angels have died out, only the devils remain.” Is this not an apt summary of the causes of economic and financial crises? There are two main types: a crisis of scarcity (shortage, lack) and a crisis of abundance. The consequences of both are devastating, though those of a scarcity crisis are worse. In Poland, no such threats are visible in the residential property market. Our reality is one of housing shortages in the largest cities, coupled with an oversupply of properties in areas where jobs are disappearing.

Source: Obserwator Finansowy

Development banks from Poland, Croatia, Romania, Lithuania and Slovenia sign letter of intent on new fund of funds managed by the EIF

Development institutions from Central and Eastern Europe signed a letter of intent in Dubrovnik concerning the establishment of a new fund of funds to be managed by the European Investment Fund (EIF), as announced in a press release by Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (the Polish state development bank), one of the signatories to the letter. The initiative aims to mobilise at least EUR 2 billion in investments for energy, transport, digital and social infrastructure projects.

Source: Bank.pl

ZBP President calculates the CIT cost for banks

The banking sector paid 40% more in corporate income tax (CIT) in the first two months of this year, the President of the Polish Bank Association (ZBP), Tadeusz Białek, informed the Polish Press Agency. He added that due to the higher CIT burden, the banks’ financial result fell by 25% after January and February this year.

Source: Money.pl

infoDOK Report, Q1 2026: Marked increase in the number of invalidated ID documents in the first quarter

In the first quarter of 2026, 112,500 lost or stolen identity documents were added to the Lost or Stolen Documents System [System DOKUMENTY ZASTRZEŻONE] database – significantly more than in previous quarters. This increase is primarily due to the introduction of the option to report a document as lost or stolen directly via the mObywatel application, a development that has considerably simplified and expedited the entire process. The database now contains a total of 2,857,172 documents. Over the past 12 months, 201,400 documents have been invalidated.

Source: Polish Bank Association

Banks see the end of stagnation. Optimism in the financial sector rises sharply

The banking sentiment index rose in April compared to March by 9.8 points, reaching 29.7 points. In April, expectations regarding future customer activity improved, as reported by the Polish Bank Association and Minds & Roses.

Source:  Bankier.pl

ZBP submits its proposals in response to the European Commission’s consultation on the competitiveness of the EU banking sector

The Polish Bank Association submitted its proposals to the European Commission as part of the consultation on the competitiveness of the European Union banking sector. Comments were submitted in both the general consultation, which closed on 10 March, and in the targeted consultation, which closed on 19 April 2026. These activities form part of the ZBP’s ongoing engagement in the European legislative process and its representation of the Polish financial sector’s interests. The proposals aim to create regulatory conditions that will enable banks to support economic growth, investment and the transformation of the European economy more effectively.

Source: Bank.pl

Digital money accelerates. Stablecoins could reshape banking

Stablecoins are no longer exclusively a tool of the cryptocurrency market and are emerging as a key element of the global financial infrastructure. According to a Bain & Company report, their supply could increase as much as twelvefold by 2030, growing from the current ~USD 230 billion to as much as USD 2.7 trillion. This places urgent pressure on banks to define their role in a rapidly changing cash flow ecosystem.

Source: ManagerPlus

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Banking today and tomorrow | An overview of the banking sector | April 2026

 

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