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 new central bank digital currency
Milena KabzaDigitalization transforms many aspects of business activity, reduces the role of cash in financial intermediation, and promotes the emergence of new forms of money. This is a major challenge for the central banks.
Understanding the SEE real estate market
Vedran ObućinaFinancial analyst James Stack predicted a collapse in the real estate market in 2008 and announced a slowdown in real estate last year. If there is a recession, there is a significant risk to property prices, said Stack in...
Russia’s sovereign internet
Filip BrokešFor years Russia has been trying to create its own internet, independent of the World Wide Web. A new law, “Stable RuNet law”, signed by President Vladimir Putin in May this year, took effect on November 2019
Poles are concerned about the environment
Katarzyna MokrzyckaPoles should change their habits and become more environmentally friendly. Otherwise even the best regulations and environmental programs may turn out to be ineffective in the fight against the flood of garbage and air...
The burdens of population aging and possible solutions
Jan CipiurAn elderly lady once said “we were promised a long life, but all we got is old age”. Progressing loss of independence and a sense of uselessness are a source of anguish for seniors and generate problems and costs for...
The paradox of Ukrainian coal
Michał KozakUkraine has the 7th largest identified hard coal deposits in the world (almost 4 per cent of the global hard coal reserves), the domestic coal mining industry is in a state of collapse, as a result of which the country is a...
Czech bank moves to German market
Filip BrokešIn the middle of October 2019, Velvon Bank, the sister company of the Czech online bank Air Bank, announced that it had been granted a German banking license. Velvon chose Munich as the seat for its German operations.
Pharmaceutical sector in the CSE: mild but steady increase
Vedran ObućinaAccording to Eurostat data, the volume of industrial production of basic pharmaceutical products and preparations in the European Union in 2019 increased y/y. The highest y/y growth rate was recorded in May — 15.8 per...
Poor outlook for the Russian oil industry
Wiktor RossAlthough Russia is still among the three global leaders in oil production, it only ranks the 8th in terms of the size of controlled oil reserves. But they are already heavily depleted and there are no new oil deposits that...
Polish companies have to protect their profit margins
Marek Pielach“In the short term, the adaptive capability of Polish companies is high. However, what will be important is whether they are able to utilize modern technologies and increase profit margins,” says Piotr Boguszewski from...