English
Obserwator Finansowy features views and analysis of economy in Poland and other countries, written by some of the best journalists, economists and analysts. Our mission is to share knowledge of economics and financial markets in the world.
Obserwator Finansowy is a project under aegis of the Poland’s central bank, Narodowy Bank Polski. We have published thousands of articles about the Polish and global economy. Our journalists have conducted hundreds of interviews with Nobel laureates, distinguished economists, business leaders and politicians with views across the political spectrum.
In this section you can find selected articles in English.
Venture Capital funds in the CSE
Vedran ObućinaThere are many reasons why Central and Southeast Europe (CSE) is not attractive to foreign investors, most notably high levels of corruption, legal restrictions that prevent or restrict Venture Capital (VC) investment,...
No one knows how long this crisis will last
Sebastian Stodolak“The longer the lockdown lasts, the more likely it is that there will be changes in consumer tastes, changes to production techniques and supply chains, and we will build more capacity for emergencies into health...
Internet banking will expand due to #StayAtHome
Mirosława KaczmarekAs the coronavirus pandemic was spreading, concepts such as home office and e-learning gained in popularity. As consumers mobility has been limited, it can be assumed that home banking will also follow and will increase the...
Fintech expansion is progressing
Mirosław Ciesielski2019 was a successful year for the fintech sector. Many start-ups have increased their valuations and customer bases. They have successfully entered new markets and developed innovative services, taking over the revenues of...
Mobile banking applications: a success story
Mirosława KaczmarekThe scale of the boom in the access to banking services via mobile devices is well illustrated by an analysis of the growth rate of the number of users, which amounted to 33 per cent on average in 2014-2019. At the end of...
Russian Sberbank has a new owner
Filip BrokešThe Central Bank of the Russian Federation sold its 50 per cent+1 share in Sberbank, Russia’s largest financial institution, to the Russian Finance Ministry. Although officially carried out to avoid conflict of interest,...
How does Europe deal with problem banks?
Magdalena Kozińska, Jarosław Michalewicz, Justyna Pycka, dr Beata ZdanowiczIn 2010, former Governor of the Bank of England, Mervin King, said that “large, complex financial institutions are global — at least in life if not in death.” He highlighted the lack of an international framework for...
The Financing Cost Index will show the real cost of money
Jan CipiurA new instrument has been developed in Poland, which allows tracking the price of money in fixed-term transactions. The Financing Cost Index could become a tool of everyday use. The average daily transactions in this tool...
Disaster protection bonds
Jan CipiurIt’s time to learn about a unique type of bonds — so-called "cat bonds". But these are not “pussycat” bonds for the benefit of cats. This time the cat is not some kind of tabby — it is an abbreviation for...
Banks in the age of digitization
Mirosław CiesielskiA large percentage of banks will have to face the threats resulting from the dynamic processes of digitization in conditions of a global economic crisis. This will force them to transform their traditional business models.