Poland's top lender PKO BP details two-phase European expansion plan

Powszechna Kasa Oszczednosci Bank Polski SA

03/06/2026 08:11

By Alicja  Surdy

    SOPOT, Poland, June 3 (Reuters) - Poland's top lender PKO BP PKO.WA is pushing to become a "pan-European" bank, starting by serving Polish companies abroad before expanding to local clients, CEO Szymon Midera told Reuters during the annual European Financial Congress in Sopot, Poland.
The bank is simultaneously looking to cement its dominance at home organically. Midera said on Monday that the "best-case scenario" was to grow the bank's domestic market share to nearly 30% in retail and up to 20% in the corporate segment over the next two to three years.
The previously undisclosed corporate segment goal comes at a time when Polish firms' limited willingness to invest using credit poses a major challenge for the country's banking sector, according to the Polish Banks Association.
The international expansion, outlined in PKO's 2025-2027 strategy in October 2024, involves growing the number of foreign countries where it serves clients to 13.
PKO is currently present in eight EU countries including Poland. It also owns KredoBank in Ukraine.
Halfway through implementing the strategy, Midera called these expansion goals "very ambitious" and said they would not be revised for at least a year.
He also said the bank was still "calibrating its international banking model".
"The expansion will be phased, initially focusing on serving Polish companies abroad," Midera said. After two to three years, PKO will start building competences to serve and finance local businesses, he added.

(Writing by Adrianna Ebert; editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak)
((Adrianna.Ebert@thomsonreuters.com; +48 58 769 65 88;))