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.
As 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.
For 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.
Although 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.
Poland has emerged as the most resilient economy in the EU during the global slowdown. However, The Banker's European Finance Minister of the Year is determined to stay ahead of the pack, and is now prioritising bringing down the country's budget deficit. Writer Philip Alexander
Abraao Gourgel was parachuted into the job of governor of Angola's central bank in April 2009 at a difficult time. The country's currency, the kwanza, had suffered a sharp devaluation on account of plummeting oil prices and the global economic downturn, which was having an adverse impact on foreign direct investment.