Articles in 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.

Historically high surplus in Poland’s foreign trade
Poland’s foreign trade surplus is strengthening. However, the value of the trade exchange surplus recorded in the second quarter of 2020 is probably a one-off phenomenon, as it was driven by a strong decline in oil prices...

Unimpressive performance of private equity funds in Poland
They are referred to as the “two and twenty” (or “2 and 20”). This business is also present in Poland, although it isn’t playing any major role. In the United States, and elsewhere in the West, these investment...

In 2020, we have sought security in cash
The supply of banknotes and coins to the economy is currently continued without any disruption. Everything goes as usual, with no tensions of the kind we were subject to in March and April. We can therefore begin to work on...

President Glapiński: we are starting work on a national cash security strategy
“The measures undertaken by NBP during the pandemic have helped to limit the fall in GDP in Poland this year and will support the recovery in activity in 2021. According to NBP experts the easing of monetary policy will...

The pandemic could lead to the popularization of responsible investment
In Poland sustainable investing is still seen as a passing fad. However, across the world it is now an important trend, which will eventually be adopted in our country as well. The crisis caused by COVID-19 will likely...

The great exodus from Central and Eastern Europe
The population of the “new” member states of the European Union has shrunk by as many as 2.1 million people since 2004. During the analyzed period of 16 years, approximately 80.4 million people from the countries of...

IMF: Sustainable GDP growth only after overcoming the pandemic
The International Monetary Fund in its autumn projections seems to invariably envisage a V-shaped recovery, as it expects global GDP to grow by 5.2 per cent in 2021 following the 4.4 per cent decline in 2020. And yet never...

President of NBP: the banking system is functioning in a stable manner and will continue to do so
“NBP analyses show that despite the huge scale of the shock during the pandemic, the losses and the uncertainty, the banking system as a whole is functioning and will function in a stable manner,” assured the President...

Russian central bank after (some) dirty money
Bank of Russia, the country’s central bank and key financial regulator, wants to change Russia’s anti-money laundering laws in order to have more decision-making power over which companies can be deemed risky from a...

It is worth knowing more about economics
Poles want to know more about finance, are aware of the gaps in their economic education and can point out its benefits. These are the findings of a recent study commissioned by NBP.