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 history of the Bank of England
Paweł KowalewskiSo far, no one had the courage to take a look at the times when the United Kingdom was trying to find its place in the post-imperial era, because of the difficulty of this task. Finally, however, it was taken on by Professor...
COVID-19 will lead to higher unemployment in Ukraine
Michał KozakThe lockdown measures have hurt both the Polish and the Ukrainian economy, but the strength of the impact is not the same. The long-term effects in the two countries will also be different. Unemployment may turn out to be...
Catching up with the “old” EU, but not quite there yet
Obserwator FinansowyThe difference in the consumption level in Poland and the EU average is narrowing. Polish incomes are lagging behind other EU member states, but the prices are also much lower. However, Romania is catching up with the more...
Central banks in March – the first reaction to the pandemic
Adrian PrzerywaczThe central banks of the world’s major economies responded relatively quickly to the economic and financial threats caused by the pandemic by using several measures. The goal was to ensure the availability of preferential...
Belarus quickly depletes financial reserves
Filip BrokešAs the political crisis in Belarus increases, banks find themselves under severe pressure. With an ever growing number of people withdrawing money, the National Bank of Belarus has no choice but to sell its reserves on...
The Eurozone is increasingly indebted
Paweł KowalewskiIt's hard to believe that at the beginning of this year Germany was wondering what to do with its budget surplus. The “black zero” policy, which basically boils down to maintaining balanced budgets, was still popular.
The Ukrainian central bank: changes in the monetary policy?
Michał KozakIn July 2020, the former governor of the Ukrainian central bank NBU Jakiv Smoliy resigned from his position. The new head of the central bank, Kyrylo Shevchenko, has announced the continuation of the monetary policy pursued...
Russia raises funds for social spending
Filip BrokešRussia’s state Pension Fund is in a desperate need of additional transfers from state coffers. The Russian government is looking for creative ways to fill the gaps, such as confiscating “suspicious savings”, taxing tax...
The IMF is fighting the crisis caused by COVID-19
Adrian PrzerywaczAs an institution established to support the stability of the world economy, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is exhibiting a strong commitment to combatting the economic and social consequences of the coronavirus...
Can Europe survive without foreign workers?
Vedran ObućinaThe coronavirus shock in the first phase of the crisis caused various types of imbalances in the markets of goods, services, property and labor. Unravelling these imbalances requires time to adjust but some countries don’t...