The number of fintech players has increased by 79 percent compared to 2018. The market is maturing, as evidenced by the high, steadily growing revenues of fintechs and the first successes of entities launching their offers on foreign markets. Fintechs made in Poland are being noticed by VC funds debuting on the Polish market, as well as international financial institutions and global fintechs opening their research and development centers here or business service centers requiring the involvement of people. However, the sector’s development dynamics brings many challenges for the companies themselves and the public authorities responsible for the Polish economy or regulations. The FinTech Poland Foundation has just published a new edition of the report ‘How to do Fintech in Poland‘, presenting the sector in the context of the entire economy and the financial sector. This is a guide for foreign investors interested in fintech in Poland.

Get the report “How to do FinTech in Poland?”: https://fintechpoland.com/raport/how-to-do-fintech-in-poland/

This is the second edition of the publication, which contains information about leading acceleration programmes and innovation hubs, both those operating within the bank structure and independent ones. The study provides practical information on the legal framework or tax incentives for foreign investors It also synthetically describes the key regulatory challenges in the coming years. As a result, the report is a must-read for those seeking information on the Polish financial innovation sector.

Poland is becoming an increasingly attractive market for financial innovation activities thanks to its well-developed infrastructure, mature financial sector, quality business environment and outstanding talent, especially in IT and finance. Distinctively, in Poland, the boom in the sector we have been experiencing in recent years has resulted primarily from cooperation with mature financial institutions rather than through direct competition, says Paweł Widawski, President of FinTech Poland.

The ‘How to do Fintech in Poland’ report shows the increasing openness of regulators and supervisors to activities supporting the development of the financial market. Their support for the idea of building a new-generation financial center in Poland is changing the way we think about the importance of the modern financial sector for the national economy and state security. This implies the need to take proactive measures to support new foreign investments in this sector of the economy and to build the brand of the Polish financial center, which will also support the foreign expansion of Polish fintechs. However, it is necessary to develop market and public mechanisms to support Polish companies in this area in entering markets in other countries.

To maintain the growing condition of the industry, the coordination of market participants is crucial. A multi-level platform for dialogue and cooperation between financial sector participants – public authorities, established players and market entrants – is an essential factor in achieving synergies by establishing business cooperation, sharing local and global market knowledge and increasing the efficiency of resources held.

As there can be no further development without access to capital, it is essential to develop the recognition of the Polish fintech sector among foreign investors, which, in turn, will translate into the availability and cost of capital to finance new initiatives or the development of existing ones. Clearly, despite the global slowdown in Poland, the value of investments made with Venture Capital funds is growing. In 2022 alone, the value of those made in Poland was EUR 775,000,000, a substantial increase of 2114 percent compared to 2018. However, the fintech sector has even greater potential here, provided effective initiatives are taken.

The ever-growing talent base is not without significance both for the development of the fintech sector and for foreign investors. The potential is already high. Every year, 350,000 people graduate from university in Poland. The initiation of changes in education at the secondary school and university level, and the introduction of new fields of study can effectively position Poland as a country of experts and specialists best prepared to work in finance. This will benefit both local entities and attract further foreign investment in finance.

The co-authors of the report “How to do FinTech in Poland?” prepared by the FinTech Poland Foundation, are the Polish Investment and Trade Agency, the Polish Financial Supervision Authority, Michael Page and PAGE EXECUTIVE, pwc Legal and Bank Pekao SA. The strategic partner of the report is PKO Bank Polski. Partners include BIK [Polish Credit Bureau], Accelpoint and the Bird & Bird law firm.

• Marek Myszka, Director of the Innovation Office at PKO Bank Polski

The innovations created by fintechs benefit all participants in economic life. For this reason, we must provide them with the right conditions for further development. As the largest bank in the CEE region, we understand the importance of a skillful marriage of business and new technologies, not only from the perspective of the growing satisfaction of technology users but also the opportunities that this relationship brings for the future of the Polish economy and all the entities building its success. That is why, as PKO Bank Polski, we are always keen to get involved in all initiatives supporting the FinTech environment. I believe that dialogue, strong support from the financial sector and the strengths of the local market for new technologies will help turn Poland into one of the key FinTech centers in the world – said Marek Myszka, Director of the Innovation Office at PKO Bank Polski.

• Zbigniew Wiliński, Director of the FinTech Financial Innovation Department, The Polish Financial Supervision Authority 

Supporting financial innovation in Poland is a task we have defined at the statutory level for several years now. The Polish Financial Supervision Authority support consists, among other things, of free consultations under the Innovation Hub Program or enabling the testing of selected solutions available in Virtual Sandboxes. We recognize the potential of the domestic FinTech sector, to create solutions that can be popularized abroad, but a local market is a good place from which activities can be successfully conducted throughout the European Union. In our opinion, the Report is a source of reliable and synthetically presented knowledge about Poland with special emphasis placed on the FinTech sector.

• Agnieszka Kulikowska, senior partner at Page Executive

By choosing Poland, foreign investors gain access to a broad talent base and a mature FinTech ecosystem. Experts in product development, finance and risk management, as well as world-class specialists in IT, are just part of the potential we house as Europe’s largest business center, involving more than 400,000 employees, including more than 40,000 specialized in financial services areas. The “How to do FinTech in Poland?” report is a chance to explore all the opportunities waiting in Poland.

Poland gives investors access to a very broad talent pool and Fintech ecosystem – from experts in products, finance and risk to world-class IT professionals. The country is the largest global business services hub in Europe with 400k people, including 50k+ within financial services hubs. Explore this land of opportunity thru our report.

• Aleksandra Bańkowska, adwokat, Partner w PwC Polska

As PwC, we proactively support the development of the fintech market in Poland. As part of the report “How to do fintech in Poland?” we analyzed key legal regulations that affect or may affect the landscape of the Polish fintech sector. The study is practical in nature, with a focus on the upcoming obligations of fintech companies arising both from the more obvious ones, such as MiCA or DORA, as well as less obvious ESG regulations.

• Paweł Kurtasz, Prezs Zarządu PAIH

We recognize in the relationships with our partners and the questions we receive that the Polish fintech sector is very dynamic. Polish startups boast solutions that attract investors from around the world. The sector’s development can still be accelerated, if only by improving the regulatory environment for the sector. Thanks to this report, we can diagnose further needs of companies.

 Get the report “How to do FinTech in Poland?”: https://fintechpoland.com/raport/how-to-do-fintech-in-poland/