WIBOR is on its way out. Banks gear up for client-facing changes
The National Working Group is developing recommendations on the transition to a new benchmark rate – POLSTR – in agreements with retail clients, announced Tadeusz Białek, President of the Polish Bank Association (Związek Banków Polskich).
Benchmark rates are used, among other things, in residential mortgage lending. In Poland, the widely used benchmark has been WIBOR (Warsaw Interbank Offered Rate), which is now being replaced by a new rate – POLSTR (Polish Short Term Rate). From January 2027, banks should no longer grant new loans referenced to WIBOR. The rate will be subject to an ‘orderly phase-out’ and will continue to be provided until 31 December 2036. Until that date, it may still be used in existing agreements.
Source: Bankier.pl
Banks keep winning, but WIBOR claims keep coming
The CJEU ruling was supposed to take the wind out of the WIBOR dispute. Instead, the number of claims is growing at an alarming rate. For now, however, borrowers face an uphill battle as final judgments have consistently gone against them.
Following the CJEU’s February judgment, it seemed that the dispute over PLN-denominated variable-rate mortgage loans referenced to WIBOR would quickly die down. The Court significantly curtailed the scope for challenging the benchmark itself. Our analysis shows, however, that the opposite has been the case so far.
Source: Parkiet.pl
NetB@nk: digital banking on the rise as clients increasingly go mobile
Over 46.3 million retail clients now use online banking, according to the latest NetB@nk report published by the Polish Bank Association. Mobile banking continued to gain ground in Q2 2026 with the number of active users of banking apps rising by 7% year-on-year and by 1.6% compared with the previous quarter. By contrast, the number of active online banking users has slightly dropped, by 0.7% quarter-on-quarter.
Source: Związek Banków Polskich
ZBP’s position on the judgment in Case C-744/24
In response to the CJEU judgment of 23 April 2026, the Polish Bank Association (ZBP) considers it justified for lenders to cease charging interest on financed non-interest credit cost. On 23 April 2026, the Court of Justice of the European Union delivered a judgment in which it held that, under EU law, consumer credit agreements may not provide for the charging of interest on financed non-interest cost of consumer credit (i.e. amounts intended to cover credit-related costs such as fees). At the same time, however, the Court added that lenders may apply a proportionately higher borrowing rate that reflects the cost of not receiving interest on amounts corresponding to the financed cost of credit, thereby compensating for the gradual depreciation of the value of money over time.
Source: Związek Banków Polskich
Banks change refund rules as UOKiK enforces new practices
Unauthorised and fraudulent transactions are a scourge that costs both clients and banks alike. The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) has issued its first decisions requiring financial institutions to change their practices regarding refunds to victims of fraud. Significant changes are on the way.
The UOKiK has issued its first decisions concerning the procedure banks should follow in handling so-called unauthorised transactions, i.e. situations where funds disappear from a client’s account as a result of fraud or a transfer made without the client’s consent. In formal terms, this means that the proceedings, which had been ongoing since 2021, did not result in a fine, which could potentially have been severe (up to 10% of revenue). Banks are, however, required to change their practices in this regard.
Source: Business Insider
SMS fraudsters deploy new method: accounts emptied without sending links
Fraudsters call their victims while impersonating someone easy to trust: a bank employee or a doctor. The former attempt to build credibility by sending an SMS containing the ‘consultant’s’ name and a verification code. The latter defrauded three elderly victims of over PLN 230,000 by fabricating a story about a sudden illness of a close relative.
According to CERT Orange, the new method is based on a ‘bank employee’ impersonation scam. During a phone call, the fraudster sends the victim a text message containing the ‘consultant’s’ name and a verification code. Importantly, no link is sent and the victim is not asked to log in. As CERT emphasises, neither the code nor the name has any significance – the sole purpose is to put the victim at ease, thereby increasing the chances of success at subsequent stages of the fraud. Over the past week, sender names used included, among others, alior24, ing24, ipko24, pko bp24, mBank and even the National Bank of Poland (NBP).
Source: Bankier.pl
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See also
Banking today and tomorrow | An overview of the banking sector | September 2026
