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Polish banking systems is strong and stable. Since the political transformation in 1989, Poland managed to avoid serious shocks, experienced by other countries of the region. Polish banking system was shaped by the processes running in this market for several years now. From among 51 commercial banks (as of July 2007), most are fully or partially privatised. Their privatisation was realised by the biggest financial institutions in Europe and the world. As a result, a considerable amount of Polish banks' equity is in the hands of foreign investors (See Chart 31.1). Paralelly, there are several hundred co-operative banks (584, as above) - mainly small, local banking institutions. The scale of operations of both groups is reflected in the following statistics: in the 1st quarter of 2007, the initial capital of domestic commercial banks amounted to PLN 13,592 million, while the participation fund of co-operative banks equalled PLN 570 million. The most important phenomena in the banking sector in the last years are: dynamic development of credit and loan activities (mainly mortgage credits and loans), and considerable progress in online banking, offered now by numerous banks. Moreover, over the recent years Polish citizens started to invest their savings via investment funds and other financial institutions. As of the beginning of 2007, the financial resources allocated in investment funds operating in Poland amounted to PLN 95 billion, which marks a 23% rise over the last year, and 25% of total savings of the Poles. The development in this area shows that Poles begin to adjust to the praxis of highly developed countries. Chart 31.1 | The ownership structure of banks in Poland (as of 30th July 2007) | | foreign investors | 70% | | State Treasury | 11.1% | | state legal persons | 2.2% | | co-operative banks shareholders | 4.2% | | Other domestic entities | 12.2% | | small private shareholders | 13.3% |
Source: http://www.nbp.gov.pl/Publikacje/
nadzor_bankowy/pdf/synteza2007_1.pdf
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