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.
Belarus: Reliance on Russia Puts Off Reforms
Sergei KuznetsovBelarus’s economy remains one of the least reformed in the region – largely because it has been able to rely on help from Russia to avoid a politically risky restructuring which could endanger the authoritarian rule of...
Polish Coal: Lagging Reforms Hobble Sector
Adam EastonPoland’s state-owned hard coal mining industry is on the brink of bankruptcy thanks to falling prices and demand, rising costs and a reluctance to close unprofitable pits – all this after billions of dollars were spent...
Conservative and Stable: Poland’s Buttoned-up Banks
Andrew KurethTwenty-five years after Poland’s political and economic transformation, the country’s banking sector has proven one of its biggest success stories. Poland’s banks have weathered several global downturns – including...
A Transition Looks at 25 – Taking Stock of Transformation in Central and Eastern Europe
SzymonAs 2014 draws to a close, so too do the celebrations of the annus mirabilis of 1989 and the quarter-century of transition that followed in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). While the retrospectives across the region and in...
Poland’s New Golden Age
Marcin PiątkowskiNapoleon Bonaparte once reportedly complained that history was a set of lies everyone agreed upon. While such a view may be too cynical, it is nonetheless true that nations tend to idealize their past. Poland is no...
Hungary Forges its Own Path
Kester EddySurrounded by fairy lights and fir trees, and with strains of 'White Christmas' crooning in the background, the crowd at Arena Plaza, a modern, Budapest shopping mall, makes for brisk trade just a fortnight before the big...
Unfinished Revolutions
Andrew MacDowallThe path taken by Romania and Bulgaria over the past 25 years differs from that of both Central Europe, which embraced free-market capitalism more enthusiastically, and the Western Balkans, much of which was set back by...
Swiss Decision Sends Ripples Across Central Europe
Jan CieńskiThe unexpected decision by the Swiss National Bank Thursday to stop defending the longtime benchmark of 1.20 francs to the euro has set off panic across central Europe, with Poland the most exposed of all the region’s...
Banks must cut costs deeply to make themselves attractive to investors
Jacek RamotowskiAlthough the economic crisis has largely ended, European banks have not yet regained their balance, and their biggest problem is a lack of profitability. Although their capital strength has ceased to be an issue, lending...
Who will make money on rebuilding Donbass
Michał KozakUkrainian authorities are considering how to rebuild Donbass, destroyed by Russian mercenaries. Unless the West takes part in the procedure, decisions are likely to depend on under which variant the most money can be...