PKO Bank Polski is stepping up the pace. ‘Number one and fullstop’ is the motto of the Group's new strategy for 2025-2027, which aims to strengthen its position as the undisputed leader in banking.

PKO Bank Polski - number one and full stop. This is the motto of the new strategy of Poland's largest bank for the years 2025-2027. Over the next three years, the main strategic objective will be to strengthen the Bank Group's position as the financial group number one in Poland, focused on growth and development. The bank plans to achieve this by expanding the reach and scale of its business to existing and new customers based on a modified, diversified business model, a strong capital position, effective risk management and increasing operational efficiency.

- We are accelerating growth in order to strengthen the position of the PKO Bank Polski Group as the undisputed market leader for years to come. We will make use of all our competitive advantages resulting from our position as the largest and strongest banking group in Poland. However, we need to modify our business model. We will base our strategy on the 7 pillars designed in the 2025-2027 strategy. This is a plan that has the potential to change the financial market in Poland,’ said Szymon Midera, President of the Management Board of PKO Bank Polski.

And he added: - The business model will be adequate to current trends, above all to those geopolitical, social and technological. To the everyday expectations of customers, i.e. convenient and always available financial services. And to the current needs of the Polish economy - the energy transition, building the value of the national capital and the investments necessary to grow and maintain the competitiveness of our country. We will be number one and full stop - for customers, employees, shareholders and for Poland.

Financial targets for 2025-2027

· ROE: target level above 18% in 2027, assuming the National Bank of Poland reference rate in 2027 at 3.5%.

· The C/I ratio in 2027 below 35%.

· Cost of risk in 2027 in the range of 0.70%-0.90%.

· Ability to pay dividends/ buy-back of own shares

The 7 pillars of the strategy

· Pillar 1. Number 1 for everyday customers’ needs. As a result of demographic changes and technological advances, customers' needs are changing dynamically, affecting a number of aspects of their personal and professional lives. In an increasingly complex reality, customers are looking for a reliable financial institution - a partner that will comprehensively meet their financial needs. PKO Bank Polski is the largest bank in Poland, and the brand is the most recognized among banks. According to research, its main differentiators are safety, stability and reliability. Thanks to these ones and to its’ digital service offerings that respond to customers' daily needs, the Bank expects to increase the number of individual customers from 11.4 million to 15 million in 2027.

· Pillar 2. Number 1 in ecosystems. The Bank plans to expand the range of its products and services to be able to operate in selected ecosystems – mobility, real estate, and everyday shopping. Ecosystems, including cooperation with online platforms and traditional retail chains, will allow for the creation of new distribution channels for financial and non-financial products and enable the acquisition of 2.5 million customers.

· Pillar 3. Number 1 for a better financial future of customers. Due to demographic trends, Polish society will have to face the challenge of long-term saving in order to secure its future. The Group's investment offer will allow customers to build their wealth in a convenient and individualized way. The aim of the Strategy is to increase Bank’s share in households savings to 27% during the next 3 years, mainly thanks to a comprehensive offer tailored to all customer segments - from school education, through additional pension savings, to the expansion of the offer for private banking customers. The achievement of this target will depend on regulatory requirements, e.g. supervisors’ approach to including long-term deposits in the long-term funding requirement (WFD). In addition, the Bank also intends to become a bancassurance leader by exploiting the scale of the Group's business.

· Pillar 4. Number 1 in accessibility for customers – in branches and digitally. More than half of customers in Poland still expect physical presence in the branch when making complex financial decisions, which shows that the role of branches as advisory and support centers is still very important. The Bank intends to maintain the full branch availability, changing their role based on the current needs of customers and modern service standards. The digital channel will be equally important as the Bank plans to improve remote processes and offer its customers an even better experience. The aim of the Strategy is to increase the number of branches operating in a modern format up to a total of 600 in 2027 (out of the currently existing 881).

· Pillar 5. Number 1 as a partner for Polish business. The Polish economy is in the final stage of transformation towards a developed market. This is an opportunity for Polish companies. The Bank will become an increasingly strong partner of Polish business, providing a wide range of products and services, as well as delivering customer services based on strong  relations. The objective of the Strategy is to increase the share of financing for business customers from 16.5% to 18.0%.

· Pillar 6. Number 1 in energy transformation financing. Poland relies heavily on non-renewable energy sources. Bank recognizes the need to support the country's energy transition and intends to be a leader in financing over 20% of the total expenditures needed to implement this venture.

· Pillar 7. Number 1 as a Polish bank in Europe. The Group is currently present in four European countries other than Poland – in Germany, Czechia, Slovakia, and Ukraine. In the Strategy, further expansion to another nine European countries is planned.

The strategic priority is to simultaneously increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the Group's operations, in particular: 

· strengthening the PKO Bank Polski brand as the most recognizable and preferred banking brand;

· creating a new organizational culture supporting employee engagement;

· transforming in terms of sustainable development;

· effective risk management with the use of state-of-the-art technology;

· modern technology (including AI) supporting business;

· ensuring efficient internal processes and operations.

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PKO Bank Polski is the undisputed leader of the Polish banking sector, and the value of its assets increased to PLN 507 billion at the end of the first half of 2024. The net profit of the PKO Bank Polski Group amounted to PLN 4.4 billion. The number of customers exceeded to 12 million. The Bank is the basic provider of financial services for all customer segments, achieving the highest market shares in the deposits, loans and investment funds market of individuals. Thanks to the development of digital tools, including the IKO application, which has been activated by customers 8.1 million times, PKO Bank Polski is the most mobile bank in Poland.