Wymuszone pośrednictwo w bankowości cyfrowej: Bezpieczeństwo finansowe i autonomia starszych klientów banków

Tatiana Einbacher

doi:10.26354/bb.5.2.103.2026

Published: 2026-10-30

Vol. 103 No. 2 (2026)

Forced Intermediation in Digital Banking

Tatiana Einbacher

Section: Problems and Opinions

https://doi.org/10.26354/bb.5.2.103.2026

Financial Security and the Autonomy of Older Bank Customers

Abstract

The article explains forced intermediation in digital banking and examines its consequences for the security and autonomy of older customers. It uses a critical analysis of research literature, payment-services and accessibility law, and institutional documents. The paper introduces the original concept of forced intermediation, five diagnostic criteria and a four-level scale of third-party involvement. It distinguishes technical authentication, consent to a transaction and the customer’s actual agency, assessed through their understanding of the transaction, freedom of decision and ability to verify the outcome. On this basis, the article develops a framework for supported use of banking services and outlines a possible two-stage implementation in Poland: a sectoral standard defining a separate role and profile for the assistant, followed, where necessary, by statutory clarification of access to information, liability and audit-trail requirements. The model distinguishes technical assistance from a power of attorney and leaves the decision and final approval of the transaction with the customer.

Keywords:

older people , digital banking , financial autonomy , financial security , digital exclusion , third-party assistance

JEL Codes

G21, G28, J14

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Einbacher, T. (2026). Forced Intermediation in Digital Banking: Financial Security and the Autonomy of Older Bank Customers. Safe Bank, 103(2), 87–103. https://doi.org/10.26354/bb.5.2.103.2026

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Vol. 103 No. 2 (2026)
Published: 2026-10-30

ISSN: 1429-2939

eISSN: 2544-7068

10.26354

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Bankowy Fundusz Gwarancyjny

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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