Best bank 2025: ING Bank
A combination of digital innovation, customer-centric growth and strategic transformation contributed to ING Bank’s strong performance in Poland in 2024.
The bank demonstrated strong financial momentum throughout 2024, with deposits rising by 8% year-on-year to Zl218.1 billion ($60.3 billion) and loan volumes increasing by 6% to Zl167.4 billion. At the same time, the number of mobile-only customers grew by 15%, reaching 2.3 million.
As part of the bank’s continued investment in digital transformation, it completed 50 cloud deployments in 2024, enabling 59 applications to begin cloud-based operations and enhance their scalability and customer experience. Another digital development was the implementation of a new selfie-based onboarding process, allowing instant account access and eliminating previous delays.
In 2024, ING introduced major upgrades across its mobile platforms. In the app Moje ING, the bank launched a faster selfie-based onboarding process and improved financial planning tools, including a new “Financial Month” feature that shows upcoming expenses and available funds in one view.
For ING Business, SME clients gained access to a new in-app credit module displaying loan details, repayment schedules, and downloadable statements. Both apps introduced integrated chat and call support, allowing users to contact ING directly without extra authentication. These enhancements received strong user feedback: Moje ING’s Google Play rating grew from 4.4 to 4.8, while the rating for ING Business surged from 2.5 to 4.8.
On the cybersecurity side, the bank introduced advanced behavioural verification and anti-spoofing tools in 2024, enhancing its fraud prevention capabilities and reinforcing customer trust.
Best investment bank 2025: Santander
Santander demonstrated impressive developments across all areas of investment banking in Poland in 2024, particularly in digital innovation and cross-border execution.
The bank led the market by both volume and number of transactions, completing 11 equity capital markets deals. Among these was the landmark IPO of Żabka Polska – one of the largest in Warsaw Stock Exchange history – where Santander generated demand from both domestic and international investors. It also executed two accelerated bookbuilds for X-Trade Brokers, helping expand the company’s institutional investor base from just four to nearly 30 names.
In M&A, Santander advised on seven cross-border transactions. These included the €100 million acquisition of Mercor by Ireland’s Kingspan, enabling the buyer’s strategic entry into Poland, and a €400 million investment by Canada’s Constellation into Asseco, one of the largest IT sector deals in the region.
A key digital development was the rollout of real-time bookbuilding platforms, giving clients live visibility into demand during ECM transactions, enhancing transparency and decision-making. The bank also expanded its digital solutions group, focused on blockchain and tokenisation, preparing for future innovations in capital markets.
Santander’s strength in debt capital markets was also notable, with 31 transactions completed during the year. This included Poland’s largest-ever US dollar-denominated sovereign bond issuance, valued at $8 billion.
Best investment bank for DCM 2025: Citi
Citi has a dominant role in Poland’s debt capital markets, earning the bank the award as the country’s best investment bank for DCM.
A key highlight of Citi’s operations was its role in managing Poland’s historic $8 billion triple-tranche bond issue in March 2024, where it acted as joint bookrunner and paying agent. This offering – the largest in both Poland and central and eastern Europe (CEE) to date – attracted a peak order book of $30 billion, reflecting immense investor confidence and demand.
Further solidifying its top position, Citi served as a joint bookrunner for Poland’s largest euro-denominated international bond in January 2024, valued at €3.75 billion. This bond was overwhelmingly well received with a 2.6 times oversubscription. The bank’s strength was again on display as it coordinated record issues for development bank BGK – a €2 billion euro bond and a $3.5 billion dollar bond – each seeing strong investor demand.
Citi’s innovation in sustainable finance is evident from is role in the €300 million debut green bond for MLP Group in October 2024. This issue was significant as the first CEE corporate high-yield bond debut since June 2023, marking a milestone in the region’s financial markets.
Consistently holding a 20% market share in Poland’s DCM for 2024, Citi maintained its position of strength in both sovereign and corporate issuance. This dominance underscores Citi’s pivotal role in shaping the Polish and broader CEE capital markets.
Best investment bank for M&A 2025: Trigon Investment Banking
Trigon Investment Banking has demonstrated exceptional expertise and leadership in the Polish market, earning it the award for the country’s best investment bank for M&A.
In a prolific year, Trigon advised on many key transactions, including CVC Capital Partners’ acquisition of Comarch SA for Zl2.7 billion ($737 million). This deal not only stands out as the largest M&A transaction in Poland in the second half of 2024 but also underscores Trigon’s ability to navigate complex, high-stakes environments.
The firm’s adeptness in aligning founder succession strategies was evident in its role as sole financial adviser to Total Specific Solutions, where it facilitated the acquisition of a 24.84% stake in Asseco Poland for Zl1 billion.
In the healthcare sector, Trigon acted decisively as an intermediary broker, supporting the Zl50 million acquisition of EMC Instytut Medyczny by Penta Hospitals International. The deal highlighted Trigon’s role in promoting sectoral consolidation and enhancing service delivery in Poland’s medical industry.
The firm’s influence extended to the telecommunications sector where it supported Arcus Capital Partners in the acquisition of Fixmap, promoting the consolidation of fibre optic infrastructure in central Poland. Also notable was Trigon’s involvement in the vertical integration in the Polish packaging sector through guiding Netbox’s acquisition of S-Druk.
Each of these transactions demonstrates Trigon Investment Banking’s pivotal role in reshaping various sectors in Poland through strategic M&A.
Best digital bank 2025: ING Bank
ING Bank has made substantial advances in digital banking in Poland, particularly through its Moje ING platform, which reached an impressive milestone of over one billion logins in 2024 with 88% of these made via mobile devices. This achievement is complemented by a remarkable service availability rate of 99.94%, ensuring reliable access for users at almost any time.
The introduction of Video Click to Call in March 2024 underscores ING Bank’s commitment to enhancing customer support digitally. This new feature has already facilitated 7,000 calls and achieved a customer satisfaction score of 4.7 out of 5.
Last year also saw ING Bank championing user convenience through the introduction of new digital onboarding processes featuring selfie verification and automated adjustments to credit limits, streamlining customer experience while also improving security.
The launch of several innovative modules, including Financial Month, BLIK for children, and specialised small and medium-sized enterprise credit facilities, broadened the spectrum of digital financial tools available, catering to specific needs and enhancing financial inclusivity.
Heightening security measures, ING Bank implemented behavioural biometrics and spoofing prevention, alongside integration with national systems such as BIK and mObywatel. These efforts have significantly improved fraud detection and strengthened identity verification processes, increasing the safety of the bank’s digital platforms.
Best digital bank for SMEs 2025: mBank
mBank has distinguished itself in the Polish market as the leading digital bank for small and medium-sized enterprises, a feat clearly reflected in its operational metrics in 2024. At the forefront of their digital innovation is the COBRA platform, which has become the foundation of mBank’s services. Remarkably, 89% of new contracts in 2024 were concluded via this platform, marking a three percentage point increase versus the previous year.
mBank has enhanced the ease of banking for corporate clients by enabling remote contract opening process and product activation directly through COBRA, successfully negating the necessity for branch visits. The introduction of the ZURB Generator subprocess within COBRA in 2024 facilitated the digital handling of non-standard contracts, fostering flexibility and efficiency in custom contract management.
Moreover, the integration of mBank CompanyNet with COBRA has streamlined critical business operations such as payments, collections and FX services, consolidating banking processes in a single, user-friendly interface.
Additional digital services in the pipeline, such as digital vaults and remote cash processing, further highlight mBank’s commitment to reducing branch dependency, reflecting the evolving needs of contemporary corporate clients.
These strategic enhancements not only bolster mBank’s position as an industry leader in digital banking but also underscore its dedication to fostering convenience and innovation geared specifically towards the unique needs of SMEs in Poland.
Best bank for ESG 2025: ING Bank
ING Bank Śląski is recognised as Poland’s best bank for environmental, social and governance (ESG) in 2025 for its measurable progress in sustainable finance, product development and governance.
In 2024, the bank reported strong ESG-related asset growth. It signed conditional green loan agreements totalling nearly Zl614 million ($167 million) and committed Zl5 billion to renewable energy financing in the corporate segment through to 2030. Taxonomy-eligible assets reached Zl61.5 billion, up 25.3% year on year, with Zl4.4 billion classified as environmentally sustainable – an increase of 242%.
Compared to 2019, the bank’s emissions for Scope 1-2 decreased by 36.8% on a market-based basis. The bank also reduced its financed Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 6.5% year on year to 9,932 million tonnes CO₂ equivalent, measured in alignment with the frameworks set by the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials.
In the retail segment, ING launched a mortgage for energy-efficient home upgrades, and in the corporate space, it introduced sustainability-linked loans and leasing products tied to environmental outcomes. It also led the market in green loan commitments under EU funding programmes.
On the governance side, the bank established a sustainability panel at the supervisory board level in the fourth quarter of 2024 and launched an ESG Ambassadors community to embed sustainability across its workforce.
Best bank for corporate responsibility 2025: Santander
Santander Bank Polska has embedded corporate responsibility across its operations, with a focus on inclusive finance, education and sustainability. In 2024, the bank launched the Santander Accessibility Academy in partnership with the Warsaw School of Economics and introduced a barrier-free language glossary with Fundacja Polska Bez Barier to promote inclusive communication.
The bank’s financial and cybersecurity education programmes reached 744,600 people in 2024, while its social support initiatives benefited over one million individuals. Total social investment in these areas amounted to Zl10.61 million ($2.9 million).
Santander also supports entrepreneurship and professional development through its Open Academy platform, offering training in foreign languages and job skills. Its long running Finansiaki programme continues to provide financial education for children and their guardians.
In the area of sustainable finance, Santander launched the Santander New Energy platform for corporates and small and medium-sized enterprises, enabling users to estimate carbon footprints and assess decarbonisation investments. The bank also established an environmental, social and governance panel to ensure the integrity of sustainable finance classifications, aligned with EU taxonomy standards.
In 2024, Santander mobilised Zl8.67 billion in new financing under its sustainable finance and investment classification system, part of a Zl31 billion target for 2027.
Best bank for consumers 2025: Bank Millennium
Bank Millennium secured its position as Poland’s best digital bank for consumers through a combination of user-focused technological advances and a substantial increase in digital engagement with its customers.
In 2024, an impressive 92.3% of the bank’s customers were actively using digital channels, contributing to a record-breaking number of over one billion mobile app logins.
The sale of digital products through Bank Millennium’s platforms has seen a significant rise, reaching 76.5% in 2024, up from 68.4% three years earlier. This growth underscores the bank’s success in transitioning its consumer base towards digital services.
In the awards period Bank Millennium introduced several innovative features in its mobile application, including a selfie-based onboarding process, an in-app currency exchange, a BLIK Pay Later option and a comprehensive investment hub.
Security remains a top priority for Bank Millennium, as shown by its 2024 implementations. Security enhancements included PESEL (Polish national identification number) verification, remote access detection systems and mandatory login authorisations, substantially strengthening customer data protection and privacy.
This blend of user-friendly digital innovation, robust security measures and strong growth in digital product uptake clearly demonstrates why Bank Millennium stands out as Poland’s premier digital bank for consumers.
Best bank for customer experience 2025: Santander
Santander Bank Polska delivered a standout year in customer experience, combining digital innovation with human-centred service.
The bank’s integration with the government’s mObywatel app enabled remote identity verification, achieving a 99.9% conversion rate and reducing onboarding time to just eight minutes. The process earned a net promoter score of 80, reflecting high satisfaction
In July 2024, Santander launched the Visa Bonus credit card, offering 1% cashback and immediate usability via digital wallets. The bank also enhanced its online lending process – 96% of applications were completed in under six minutes, with 95% of approved loans disbursed within one minute
The Price Advisor feature, used 1.5 million times in 2024, received a 94% rating and contributed to a 20% drop in fee complaints. The Santander Mobile app added features such as subscription tracking, in-app gaming top-ups and Insurance 360°, while keeping language simple and accessible – earning a plain language certificate from Wrocław University.
The bank implemented a new service standard, with over 3,200 employees trained. Advisers guide customers with empathy in making financial decisions, offering simple and suitable solutions.
