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.
The pros and cons of the Eurozone
Witold GadomskiThe year 2019 marks the 20th anniversary of creation of the Eurozone, so this is a good opportunity to look at the benefits and losses that the single currency has brought to the European Union.
A new Russia’s financial pipeline uncovered
Filip BrokešOn March 2019, Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) revealed a vast offshore network that was used to channel billions of Euros out of Russia, relying on support of a major Russian bank.
Cryptocurrency exchanges under stricter supervision
Magdalena Węsierska-WieczorekIn 2018, many financial supervision authorities declared war on cryptocurrency exchanges in the interest of their clients, whose assets are being increasingly targeted by cybercriminals.
IMF: Many obstacles to growth in Europe
Marek PielachWeaker demand for European products, high energy prices and the approaching end of the business cycle will weaken the GDP growth in Europe in the short term, predicts the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Is Sberbank getting too big?
Filip BrokešOn January 2019, the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) launched its new “fast payment system” (SBP) for a limited number of clients at 12 banks across Russia.
Serbia’s komercijalna banka finished 2018 with the best results
Vedran ObućinaIn 2018, the Komercijalna banka (Commercial Bank) in Serbia achieved the best results in the past ten years, as it expects a profit of about RSD8.3 bn (over EUR70m). The bank has reversed the trend of declining market share.
European banks increasingly resilient to shocks
Jacek RamotowskiThe results of the stress tests indicate that European banks have stronger capital positions and are more resilient to shocks than two years ago.
Estonian debate over foreign banks
Vedran ObućinaIn Estonia, banking sector is in midst of debates over the role of foreign banks operation, as Scandinavian banking groups have 90 per cent of all Estonian banking sector assets.
The world is becoming even less predictable
Ewa Rzeszutek, Dariusz RostkowskiIt is difficult to state explicitly that the risks currently faced by the global financial system are bigger or smaller compared to the situation before the outbreak of the global financial crisis.
Banks are struggling under the pressure of rising costs
Jacek RamotowskiThe Polish banking sector is feeling the pressure of rising personnel costs and costs related to IT investments. Burdens are growing while the rate of return on equity declines, thus the consolidation of the sector may...