Historical timeline

We have been offering services to our retail and institutional customers already for 100 years. Our ability to combine tradition and modern lifestyles, and our comprehensive product offer that reflects the changing customer preferences, leads the next generations of Poles to use the bank's services.
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PKO Annual
Report Online
2020

Main events leading to the establishment and evolution of PKO Bank Polski Group:

  1. Pocztowa Kasa Oszczędności was established on 7 February 1919 by virtue of a decree signed by the Head of the country, Józef Piłsudski, Prime Minister Ignacy Paderewski and Hubert Linde – PKO’s founder and first president.
  2. Pocztowa Kasa Oszczędności was vested with legal personality as a state institution, operating under the supervision of and with the guarantee of the State.
  3. The first local branch of Pocztowa Kasa Oszczędności was opened in Poznań.
  4. Pocztowa Kasa Oszczędności began running School Savings Unions (Szkolne Kasy Oszczędności).
  5. On the initiative of Pocztowa Kasa Oszczędności, the Ministry of the Treasury decided to set up Bank Polska Kasa Opieki (today Pekao S.A.) as a joint-stock company to facilitate the transfer of foreign currencies to Poland by Poles living abroad.
  6. Pocztowa Kasa Oszczędności strongly contributed to the development of non-cash transactions – every other larger industrial plant and every large enterprise had a cheque account with Pocztowa Kasa Oszczędności, and the cheque turnover in Poland was one and a half times higher than the cash turnover.
  1. The Second World War was a period in which Pocztowa Kasa Oszczędności’s activity came to a standstill and it suffered huge losses.
  1. Pocztowa Kasa Oszczędności was transformed into Powszechna Kasa Oszczędności.
  2. The Banking Law Act introduced a privilege for saving deposits held in Powszechna Kasa Oszczędności; they were covered by a State guarantee.
  3. Powszechna Kasa Oszczędności introduced a modern product: a current account.
  4. In the years 1975–1987, Powszechna Kasa Oszczędności was merged into the structures of the National Bank of Poland (NBP), yet it retained its identity.
  1. The first Internet information portal of the bank and the first e-PKO Internet branch were launched.
  2. PKO Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych S.A. (PKO TFI S.A.) began its operations.
  3. PKO BP BANKOWY PTE S.A. was formed.
  4. Bankowy Fundusz Leasingowy S.A. (currently PKO Leasing S.A.) was formed which provides operating and finance leases of non-current assets and property.
  5. PKO BP, as one of the founders, formed Centrum Elektronicznych Usług Płatniczych eService S.A. (currently CEUP eService sp. z o.o.).
  6. In 2000, the bank was transformed into a joint-stock company fully-owned by the State Treasury under the name Powszechna Kasa Oszczędności Bank Polski Spółka Akcyjna (PKO Bank Polski S.A.).
  1. The bank acquired Inteligo Financial Services S.A., a company that provides services covering the maintenance and development of banking systems, also including electronic access to bank accounts (Inteligo account).
  2. The bank acquired 66.65% shares in KREDOBANK S.A. The company is registered and operates in Ukraine. At present, the Bank holds 100% of shares in the company’s share capital.
  3. In 2004, PKO Bank Polski S.A. was floated on the WSE. At the end of the first day of quotations, shares reached a price of PLN 24.50 against the issue price fixed at PLN 20.50.
  4. PKO BP Faktoring S.A. (currently PKO Faktoring S.A.) began operating.
  1. 2013–2015 strategy: “PKO Bank Polski. Every day the best” strengthened the position of the bank’s group as a leader in key market segments.
  2. In 2013, PKO Bank Polski S.A. set a new standard of mobile payments – IKO. The innovative solution on the market of mobile payments was used to create the BLIK payment system in 2015. BLIK became the Polish market standard.
  3. PKO Bank Polski S.A. signed an agreement for a twenty-year strategic alliance in the electronic payment market with EVO Payments International Acquisition GmbH, and at the same time sold a significant portion of shares in CEUP eService sp. z o.o.
  4. PKO Bank Hipoteczny S.A. was formed. Its operations include issuing long-term mortgage covered bonds and granting long-term mortgage loans to retail customers.
  5. PKO Bank Polski S.A. acquired shares in the Nordea Group companies, including shares in Nordea Bank Polska S.A., and a portfolio of amounts due from corporate customers. In October 2014, the merger of the banks was carried out.
  6. PKO Towarzystwo Ubezpieczeń S.A. was formed. The company provides property insurance services to the retail customers of PKO Bank Polski S.A.
  7. PKO Bank Polski started its expansion into foreign markets and established its first foreign branch abroad (in Frankfurt-am-Main in the Federal Republic of Germany).
  1. PKO Bank Polski realized the financial goals set for 2020 two years in advance and announced an updated strategy for the years 2020–2022 “PKO Bank of the Future. We support the development of Poland and the Poles”.
  2. PKO Leasing S.A. – the bank’s subsidiary – acquired Raiffeisen-Leasing Polska S.A. and Prime Car Management S.A. (with their subsidiaries). This allowed PKO Leasing S.A. to strengthen its position on the lease market, as well as to extend its offer of car fleet management services and rental of cars.
  3. The bank’s group acquired KBC TFI S.A. and the merger with PKO TFI S.A. helped additionally accelerate the rapid development of PKO TFI S.A., and strengthened its leading position in the retail funds segment.
  4. The bank’s portfolio of investment projects expanded by Operator Chmury Krajowej sp. z o.o. (cloud computing services), which was joined by another shareholder – Polski Fundusz Rozwoju S.A.
  5. PKO Bank Polski S.A. established an investment fund managed by PKO TFI S.A. under the business name PKO VC, which pursues an appropriate policy for a venture capital funds and invests in financial technological innovations.
  1. PKO Bank Polski S.A. continued its development abroad and formed the second foreign branch – the corporate branch in Prague (the Czech Republic) and in Bratislava (the Slovak Republic). The Slovak branch started operating in March 2021.

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