THE POLISH BANK ASSOCIATION (ZWIĄZEK BANKÓW POLSKICH, ZBP)

General Information

Self-government organization of banks, established in 1991, founded on the Chambers of Commerce Charter. Membership in the ZBP is voluntary and open for all banks created under the Polish law as well as for foreign credit institutions branches operating in the Republic of Poland.

The statutory tasks of the Association include:

  • Representing and protecting common interests of member banks, inter alia with respect to legal regulations related to banking; 
  • Delegating representatives to participate in the work of banking operations advisory and evaluating bodies; 
  • Participating in legislative work of legislatory commissions of the Sejm (the Parliament lower chamber) and the Senate; 
  • Cooperating with the National Bank of Poland, the government and the competent ministries in the area of operation of legal regulations applicable to the Polish banking system; 
  • Organizing the exchange of information between banks; 
  • Promoting of the banking sector and financial services; 
  • Constructing of the inter-bank infrastructure; 
  • Supporting the standardization of banking products and services; 
  • Disseminating of knowledge in the area of banking; 
  • Conducting conciliatory proceedings and amicable judicature for banks; 
  • Promoting of good banking practice rules; 
  • Supporting professional education, 
  • Co-ordinating of training programmes for banking staff.



The following banking infrastructure institutions have been founded on initiative of and in cooperation with the ZBP:

 

National Clearing Chamber -KIR SA,
Banking Telecom Company “Telbank” (currently Exatel);
Credit Information Bureau - BIK SA ;
CERA Central European Rating Agency (currently Fitch Polska SA);
the Polish Financial Exchange (currently part of CeTO);
the Centre of Banking Law and Information (CPBiI );
and the Warsaw Banking Institute Foundation.

The Association is also a shareholder of First Data Polska SA (formerly Polcard SA) and the International School of Banking and Finance in Katowice.


Management Board of the ZBP, elected for the 3-year term of office by the General Meeting of Members, manages the current work of the Association and represents it in external contacts.

Composition of the Management Board of the ZBP, fifth term of office (2006-2009):


President of the Association:

Krzysztof Pietraszkiewicz

Vice-Presidents of the Association:

Włodzimierz Grudziński /Bank DnB Nord S.A./

Jan Krzysztof Bielecki /Bank Pekao SA/


Management Board Members:

Jerzy Pruski /PKO BP SA/


Brunon Bartkiewicz /ING Bank Śląski S.A./

Grzegorz Rojewski /AIG Bank Polska SA/

Piotr Juda /Toyota Bank Polska SA/,

Paweł Pawłowski /GBW SA/,

Józef Wancer /BPH SA/

Sławomir S. Sikora /Citibank Handlowy SA/

Jerzy Błochowiak / PA CO BANK/


The supervisory function is performed by a three-member Audit Commission composed of:

Janina D.Firlicińska – Chairwoman /Dominet Bank S.A./


Mariusz Grendowicz /BRE Bank SA/


Lesław Wojtas /Podkarpacki Bank Spółdzielczy/


The day to day business of the Association is conducted by the ZBP Office headed by Mr. Andrzej Wolski, the General Director. More details

 


Within the Association there are numerous consultative committees, councils, task forces and other bodies. Their objective is to develop and issue opinions and positions in matters determining the correct operation of the Polish banking system.


Major bodies operating within the ZBP:

Banking Infrastructure Development Steering Committee;
Supervisory Regulations Advisory Committee;
Public Relations Council ;
Banking Security Committee ;
Accounting and Taxes Committee ;
Banking Staff and Training Committee;
Polish Banking Qualification Standards Coordinating Committee ;
Financial Market Instruments Standardisation Committee ;
International Economic Integration Matters Committee;
Payment System Committee ;
Technical Committee No. 271 for Banking and Banking Financial Services ;
Depository Banks Council ;
Banking Cards Issuers Council ;
Real Estate Financing Committee ;
Electronic Banking Council ;
Funds Management Council ;
Polish Committee of SWIFT Users ;
Court of Arbitration;
Banking Ethics Commission;

Representatives of the Association participate in work of the Bank Guarantee Fund Council and the Council of the Polish Standardisation Committee.

The Polish Bank Association is a member of the Banking Federation of the European Union /since 1992/, the ICC Poland /since 2000/, the International Association of Banking Security / since1997/ and the European Payments Council /since 2002/.

ZBP is a founder of the prestigious journalistic Marian Krzak award intended for journalists and publicists dealing with the banking issues, and a co-founder of the Marian Kanton award for the best Master and Doctoral thesis in banking, with particular consideration of inter-bank settlements.

In 2000 and 2003, the Association was granted the Alice Award for all its activities, for establishing the institution of the Banking Ombudsman, and for the Campaign for Direct Debit. The ZBP has also received the “European Pearl” award for the institutional input in the promotion of the European idea in Poland, and in particular for the creation of the Polish banking infrastructure.

The Banker’s Club in Warsaw (www.klubbankowca.pl) is managed by the Association

 


Office address:

Związek Banków Polskich
Ul. Kruczkowskiego 8
00-380 Warszawa
phone: 0048 22 4868180
fax: 0048 22 4868100
e-mail: kontakt@zbp.pl
www.zbp.pl

Updated: January 2009

 

REPORT on the Banking Ombudsman activities in 2008

 

 



Polish Bank Association
for a good partnership with business sector and other customers


 

Since 2004 the Polish Bank Association (ZBP) is strongly involved in the process of dialogue and close cooperation with different groups which play an important role in the development of the Polish economy and society. Representatives of bank sector have created some platforms where representatives of industry, small and medium enterprises, self–government authorities and chambers of commerce and industry, farmers and rural organizations, universities as well as research and development companies and non–governmental organizations meet frequently to discuss common problems and to develop their cooperation.

The main objectives of meetings are the exchange of views, experiences, sharing of information regarding problems of importance for participants of the dialogues. Lectures, presentations and conclusions of the debates are taken into consideration by the Polish Bank Association in its daily activities.

The most frequently organized Forum concerns the cooperation of the bank sector with representatives of corporations and small and medium enterprises. Approximately one hundred persons who represent the most important economic organizations, the National Bank of Poland, commercial and regional banks, media usually participate in these meetings. Conclusions have also been taken into account in governmental bills.

Exchange of views among representatives of corporations, small, medium and micro enterprises and Polish banks improve mutual understanding and bilateral relations. Eight conferences has been organised already for banks and corporates devoted inter alia to:

 

  • Hindrances to business development,

 

  • Adjustment of banks’ offer to business (especially SMEs) needs, 

 

  • Understanding the legal and supervisory conditions of banking sector activities,

 

  • Adjustment to the EU criteria,

 

  • creation of modern system of economic information,

 

  • development of e-economy,

 

  • SME access to bank credit and other external financing sources, 

 

  • cooperation on absorption of the EU funds, including a new EU financial perspective and specially the proposal of the Operational Program Innovative Economy 2007 – 2013.


Polish Bank Association as well cooperates with The Warsaw Institute of Banking (WIB) which presents the results of research on development tendencies of bank services for SMEs, prospects for growth in this market and entrepreneurs evaluation of bank polices and the prospects for future co-laboration .

Warsaw, December 2008