Biznes Fakty
Banks in Poland. Foreign capital. „We have emerged from an unhealthy situation.”
Austrians are set to become the foremost foreign participant in our banking industry. However, they will not monopolize the market, according to „Rzeczpospolita.” The publication notes that foreign investment in Poland is varied, which is encouraging for the stability of the sector.
„Rz” highlights that one of the most significant transactions in the Polish market, the acquisition of Santander Bank Polska (SBP) for around EUR 7 billion (about PLN 30 billion), is gaining traction.
The transaction is expected to be finalized within the next four months, and the purchaser – Austrian Erste Group – has already indicated plans for rebranding (though the new name for SBP has yet to be disclosed).
Banks. Polish capital has the largest stake
Erste Group signifies Austrian investment, while Santander Group represents Spanish capital, although the Spaniards are not completely exiting Poland. They will retain ownership of Santander Consumer Bank. The editors analyzed how this shift will affect the ownership dynamics within the Polish banking sector concerning the source of capital.
At present, Polish capital, mainly state-owned, commands the largest portion of the entire sector. Data from the Polish Financial Supervision Authority indicates that roughly 58.1% of all bank assets are held by Polish proprietors (including 48.8% owned by the State Treasury). The remaining 41.9% consists of foreign investment.
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The scenario is different for commercial banks
The ratios may vary slightly for commercial banks specifically, excluding cooperative banks and Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK) as a development institution. Rzeczpospolita’s evaluation of the 12 largest universal banks reveals that 43.2% of their assets are held by Polish capital (PKO BP, Pekao, Alior, and BOŚ Bank), while 56.8% are under foreign ownership.
„We have moved away from an unhealthy scenario where 70-80 percent of the sector’s assets were in the hands of foreign investors. Now, with about half of the assets, the situation is not so dire,” remarked an expert cited by Rzeczpospolita.
