Poland’s banks are all about growth in 2014. And while some prefer to grow organically, others are opting for mergers and acquisitions. However, a series of stress-tests and the fragmented nature of the country's banking environment means that some may face difficult hurdles in the coming months and years.
Central & eastern Europe
Latest articles from Poland
Banking union from the perspective of 'New Europe'
January 2, 2014The rise of pan-European banking groups makes supervision at a European level appropriate. But crises still start locally, and local supervisors must retain adequate powers to act independently.
Bonds come in from the cold in eastern Europe
March 1, 2013Although foreign banks may be reining in finance for their subsidiaries in central and eastern Europe, any transition to local currency bond financing looks likely to be gradual.
Banks to watch in 2013, Alior Bank
February 1, 2013The Banker has identified 13 banks to keep an eye on in the coming year based on a variety of factors. Poland-based Alior Bank has been selected for its unique strategy in the overcrowded Polish market.
The euro: a path worth taking?
January 2, 2013The eurozone's troubles of the past few years have meant that the headlines have been dominated by those countries deemed likely to leave the currency union. However, there are EU members that still wish to sign up to euro membership. The question is, why?
How Poland defied the EU's blues
January 2, 2013As the only EU member country to record positive growth at the height of the global financial crisis, and one of the few to suffer no casualties in its banking sector, Poland serves as a good example of how stable monetary policy combined with sound financial sector supervision can make for a robust and crisis-proof economy.
Europe's ongoing economic woes take toll on Poland
October 1, 2012For the past five years, Poland's economy has been something of an anomaly in Europe, maintaining a healthy level of growth despite the widespread economic malaise surrounding it. But with many of the country's banks facing steep losses from foreign exchange mortgages and construction sector loans, and with parent banks looking to drain liquidity from their Polish operations, cracks are starting to show.
Citi makes the most of emerging debt volatility
July 2, 2012Citi’s debt capital markets team switched nimbly between reopening Russian markets when risk appetite was high and placing Gulf state sukuk when investors searched for safety.
Credit Suisse helps put a shine on Santander's Polish ambitions
June 1, 2012Credit Suisse's Madrid-based FIG team's input into Bank Zachodni's all-share merger with KBC's Kredyt Bank has allowed Santander to build the market presence it wanted in Poland without putting the squeeze on its capital ratio.
Issuers on the fringes of Europe's crisis
May 1, 2012Although not directly affected by the squeeze facing eurozone peripheral sovereigns and banks, central and eastern Europe is affected by its economic ties with the EU and the prevalence of western European banks in its markets. Philip Alexander hears from a range of European issuers outside the eurozone, including sovereigns, agencies, banks and corporates, on how the crisis has affected them.