The official magazine of the American Chamber of Commerce in Poland 3/2020 VOL III, No. 3 • ISSN 2545-322X COMPANY PROFILE: Santander Bank Polska S.A. AMCHAM.PL QUARTERLY IS A VOICE FOR FOREIGN INVESTORS AND THE AMERICAN BUSINESS COMMUNITY IN POLAND. IT STRIVES TO KEEP READERS UP TO DATE WITH AMCHAM NEWS AS WELL AS LEADING TRENDS IN BUSINESS AND POLICY. THE MAGAZINE ALSO PROMOTES AMCHAM MEMBER COMPANIES. IN THIS DISPATCH WE PRESENT AN INTERVIEW WITH MAGDALENA KUSA, INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MANAGER AT SANTANDER BANK POLSKA S.A ., A NEW MEMBER COMPANY, WHO TALKS ABOUT BANK'S BUSINESS GOALS AND AMBITIONS. AMCHAM.PL QUARTERLY Vol. III, No. 3 Company Profile Santander Bank Polska S.A. STRIVING FOR PERFECTION What is driving the development of flexibility, and conducting business re - the banking and financial services sponsibly while caring for others. sector in Poland? Being a large financial institution, we In addition to technological progress, have always been prepared to re - the process of continuous changes in spond to the changing needs of cus - our industry is also driven by customer tomers and the world. This is an expectations and developments in the integral part of our approach to doing AmCham.pl Quarterly business. It is one of the reasons the Editor Tom Ćwiok talks mechanisms devel - oped so far, also with Magdalena Kusa, within the Santander Group structure, and International Business allows us to share our resources with Manager at Santander others. During these unexpected changes Bank Polska S.A. , about and transformations, how the bank positions leaders must strive to balance short- and itself on the Polish market. long-term goals. De - spite many studies and forecasts, today, What can you tell me about the com - Santander has in all the markets in we are not sure what pany's history in Poland? What were which it operates. This is why 2018 our reality will be like the milestones in the bank's develop - was a landmark year in the history of in the coming period. ment in Poland? the bank. We went through a re - We need to prepare The history of our bank dates back to branding and renaming and became for different scenar - 1988, the time of economic transfor - Santander Bank Poland. We have ios and be ready for mation in Poland. We were initially been appreciated for our efficient re - the next, unforeseen Bank Zachodni, and then, after the branding and communication activi - changes. The pan - merger with Wielkopolski Bank Kredy - ties, which have been recognized as a demic has acceler - towy in 1999, operated under the market model for other brands wish - ated the race for name Bank Zachodni WBK. Since 2011, ing to make similar changes in the fu - new digital solutions the bank's main shareholder has been ture. regulatory environment, including and innovations, but at the same time, Banco Santander. the largest financial Today, Santander Bank Polska S.A. growing burdens imposed on banks— we must be able to create a vision of institution in the eurozone with over Group is one of the largest financial capital, liquidity, technology—and in - the future and set new trends. 150 years of experience. Its mission is groups and the largest bank with pri - creasingly strong consumer protection to help people and businesses pros - vate capital in Poland. We offer finan - mechanisms, generating costs for fi - What can you tell me about San - per in the spirit of its core values— cial solutions for individuals, micro, nancial institutions. Fintech's activity tander's corporate culture? Simple, Personal, Fair—and to small and medium-sized enterprises, increases competition on the market Simple, Personal, Fair values guide all become an institution that is increas - and Polish and international corpora - and mobilizes for continuous improve - our actions. We believe that ideas are ingly committed to social responsibil - tions. The bank has one of the largest ment of products and processes. In - not enough to build a culture based on ity. networks of branches and partner creasing information needs of the ethics. That is why we care about edu - Our primary goal has always been to outlets in Poland and provides serv - banks themselves, as well as of super - cation and undertake a number of ini - help people and businesses prosper, ices through electronic access chan - visors and central banks, force tiatives to broaden the knowledge of so it was a natural step for us in 2018 nels, including mobile banking. It is changes in technology. The economic our employees and customers about to integrate even more closely with one of the market leaders in the use situation and decisions made by cus - the products we offer and social is - the Santander Group. Our goal was to of modern technologies in banking tomers are of great importance too. sues. Activities aimed at employees offer our clients in Poland an even services, consistently building its Today's world and the challenges make Santander Bank Polska a good greater range of products and serv - brand in accordance with the strate - posed by the pandemic testify to the place to work and contribute to the ices with a global reach, exploiting gic goal of becoming the best bank importance of focusing on the cus - achievement of the 2015-2030 UN Sus - the potential and opportunities that for the client. tomer and understanding their needs, tainable Development Goals, which 1 AMCHAM.PL QUARTERLY Vol. III, No. 3 we particularly care about in our rela - particularly deserves attention and a ther solutions for our customers. We mental, and management risks. These tions with employees. We are oriented new approach. The majority of society are an institution that has an impact risks play an increasingly important towards cooperation, a culture of dia - has transitioned to remote mode. on shaping the “new normal,” and we role from a business perspective, and logue, and bottom-up initiatives, with Trends such as the touch-free econ - will do our best to make sure it is good the streamlining of processes will respect for diversity and care for the omy have been strengthened. Some for our clients and society as a whole. allow us to increase our involvement natural environment. have, as far as possible, completely in the further development of Renew - Responsible banking means, for us, transferred their activities to the digi - What is the bank's involvement in cor - able Energy Sources in Poland, for ex - taking into account the broader and tal world. Customers are increasingly porate social responsibility? ample. long-term context of our activities. opting for online or mobile banking so As the largest private bank in Poland That is why we want to be part of an that this area will require further trans - and belonging to an international From the perspective of foreign in - environment in which growth is inclu - formation and better adaptation to group, we feel responsible for all of so - vestors, how do you evaluate Poland sive and sustainable. We are a strate - today's world. ciety when deciding how to use our fi - as a market for foreign investment? gic partner of the Responsible We focus on aid packages, on ensuring nancial potential. We want to Poland is still an attractive destination Business Forum and joined the Part - the safety of our employees, on digi - contribute to overcoming the great for foreign investments. With its nership for the Implementation of Sus - tizing and adapting our products and challenges facing society, Poland, and skilled labor force (and labor costs still tainable Development Goals (SDGs). services to the changes in our immedi - the world. This is part of our strategy, among the lowest in Europe), large We aim to be an initiator of activities ate environment and, more broadly, which is based largely on the sustain - consumer market, quickly growing bringing us all closer to achieving on changes taking place in the society. able development goals that identify productivity, and strategic location in these goals. We listen carefully to the Such activities have always been in - the most important and pressing prob - the center of Europe and at the gate needs and opinions of our social and scribed in our DNA. We actively partici - lems needing to be addressed. to Eastern markets, Poland is an inter - business partners, who expect us to pate in the implementation of many We pursue the principle of sustainable esting place to be for many multina - be effective in doing business and to initiatives proposed by government in - growth by supporting environmentally tional companies. In the last twenty engage in market, social, educational, stitutions and launch our own proj - friendly solutions, sustainable and years, Poland has been consistently and other current issues of impor - ects. First of all, we extended green financing, and supporting the building its position as a manufactur - tance to the communities. To this end, companies the opportunity to apply transformation of the Polish energy ing hub for Europe and as a very the Santander Group has committed for a grace period in the repayment of sector into a low-carbon model. strong business services hub. This itself, among other things, to spending loan principal installments, the so- Joining the pact for the sustainable trend continues and was recently con - more than EUR 120 billion between called credit holidays, as well as for a use of plastics, issuing green bonds, firmed by the announcements that Mi - 2019 and 2025 to finance investments grace period in factoring and leasing and granting loans and leases support - crosoft and Google are going to invest and environmental solutions and to in - payments under concluded agree - ing energy efficiency are just some of in Poland USD 3 billion in the coming crease access to banking products and ments.