Excess liquidity is not profit. Further CIT hikes will undermine banks’ capacity to finance the economy
Poland’s banking sector has reacted with concern to recent remarks by Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz, the Minister of Development Funds and Regional Policy, who announced plans to put forward a proposal for a further increase in CIT levied on banks. The Minister’s reasoning, however, rests on a flawed conflation of the sector’s liquidity with its profitability, revealing a fundamental misunderstanding of how the banking sector operates and how its financial health is assessed. What is more, it feeds into a worrying trend of replacing substantive debate with simplistic, populist messaging which may be politically appealing but is not underpinned by either facts or economic analysis. This approach hinders a meaningful discussion on public finances and the role of the banking sector in funding economic growth.
Source: Związek Banków Polskich
Around 6,600 complaints relating to the ‘free credit penalty’ (SKD) filed with banks since the April CJEU ruling – Wachnicka, ZBP
Since the CJEU’s April ruling, banks have received a total of around 6,600 complaints relating to the application of the so-called ‘free credit penalty’ (sankcja kredytu darmowego, SKD), and courts have handed down approximately 1,500 judgments, of which nearly 80% were decided in favour of the banking sector, Agnieszka Wachnicka, Deputy President of the Polish Bank Association (ZBP), told PAP Biznes. In her view, banks will need to adjust their interest income as they bring their agreements into line with the CJEU’s interpretation.
Source: PAP Biznes
European banks losing ground to the US. Poland and five other countries press for change
A group of EU Member States, including Poland, has called on the European Commission to draw up proposals to simplify banking sector regulation. In their letter, the signatories argue that the current regulatory framework is overly complex and is eroding the competitiveness of European banks vis-à-vis their US counterparts.
The authors of the letter stress that banks provide approximately 80% of external financing for businesses in the EU, and therefore, in their view, it is essential to reduce unnecessary administrative burdens. The letter follows a communication on the competitiveness of the EU banking sector published by the Commission on Friday.
Source: Bankier.pl
Poles rushing to flag their ID documents as lost or stolen. One mistake and someone could take out a loan in your name
A growing number of Poles are reporting their identity cards and other documents as lost or stolen. In just three months, over 139,000 new reports were added to the dedicated system, bringing the total number of flagged documents to nearly 3 million. The reason is straightforward: a lost or stolen identity document can be used to fraudulently take out a loan, open a bank account or enter into a contract in someone else’s name.
Source: Gazeta Prawna
An attempted loan fraud every 14 minutes
The Polish Bank Association has reported that, as at the end of June this year, the Central Database of the Lost and Stolen Documents System contained nearly 3 million documents. Over the period under review, more than 9,000 attempted loan frauds with a combined value of PLN 303.1 million were prevented.
Source: Bankier.pl
Germany changes its mind. This could affect customers of a leading Polish bank
UniCredit’s nearly two-year bid to acquire Commerzbank appears close to succeeding. Recently, even the German government – which had previously opposed the deal – has shifted its stance. This may have an impact on customers of mBank, which is controlled by the Frankfurt-based institution.
Source: Business Insider
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See also
Banking today and tomorrow | An overview of the banking sector | July 2026
