Safe Bank

Paper’s main goal is to present the most important elements of discussion on financialization. Paper starts with a short characteristic of mature finacialization. Next, seven fundamental elements of discussion on financialization have been presented. First one has semantic and local character and it concerns polish translation of English term. Other elements are: definition and interpretation of financialization, historic dimension of financialization, geographical and cultural scope of financialization, and doctrinal foundation of discussion on financialization. Main elements of future studies needed on financialization are also presented.

Money has been an element of the economy for centuries. During this time, its form evolved from primitive items to banknotes and coins. Nowadays, the use of electronic money and even virtual money is becoming more and more common. Therefore, there appear the questions how this money works, whether it fulfills the same functions as traditional money and whether it is an important alternative to the currently operating fiat money. In this context, the question arises whether the financial system in its present shape may continue to function or whether it rather evolves towards a system based on virtual currency. The aim of the study is to present virtual money as an alternative to traditional money and possible consequences of its expansion on the market. The analysis included in the study refers primarily to Polish conditions.

The aim of the study is to examine the impact of financial determinants, including the impact of the investors credit ratings, on banks credit ratings. Having made a literature review and the following hypothesis has been put: The bank’s credit rating depends on the financial condition of the rated entity and the credit ratings of the major investors. The logit panel data models were used to verify the hypothesis. The study was conducted at European banks, which have received the long-term ratings by the three largest agencies, Fitch, Moody, and S&P. The analysis used the quarterly data for the years 1998–2016. It turned out that the bank’s credit rating was determined by capital adequacy ratios and asset quality. The credit rating of the country, where the bank operates, is significant. The bank’s credit rating is determined by the presence of the government as one of investors (Moody’s rating downgrades while S&P is improving) and shareholder.

Although the subject of bank risks is widely described in the banking literature, the dangers encountered in the operations of safety net institutions are less frequently analyzed. A good opportunity for their deeper study is the first implementation of the resolution procedure by the Single Resolution Board (banking union resolution authority) in line with the provisions introduced to the EU legal framework after the financial crisis 2007+. The analysis of the lawsuits connected with the forced sale of the Banco Popular Español to Santander (BPE) offers a valuable lesson on potential legal risks that must be addressed by the resolution authority. For this purpose, the concept of legal risk, the framework for conducting anti-crisis measures in the new legal environment and the course of the BPE crisis have been analyzed. Then, the consequences of BPE’s resolution have been investigated.

High intensity of Polish companies succession processes occur as substantial challenge for these entities and also for financial institutions, which support their functioning and development. The wave of succession requires to undertake actions, by both family businesses and financial institutions, tending to identify succession risk and implement solutions, which solve problems connected with succession process quality.

The high dynamics of changes in technologies and business models of modern banking are driving to the question whether the position of a digital customer will not become the weakest or the most neglected area in bank operations, and one of key problems for regulators and supervisors. The subject of consideration is dedicated to identification of threats for a digital customer. The article concerns three areas, usually analyzed autonomously: protection of the client, risk culture and transformation from traditional banking model to a digital one. The aim of the analysis is to compare the client’s risk in the current banking model with the risks associated with the transformation of bank operations, mainly due to technological and cultural reasons. The appearance of diametric differences in the essence and the approach to digital client risk in relation to the prevailing mechanisms and concepts of banking risk management will have consequences for all market participants. Technological circumstances on force a new classification of the client’s risk, which should take into account cultural factors. The importance of cultural aspects increases and they belong to the main determinants of functioning and development of banks. Risk categorization is a key step in a risk management system, which determines, for example, its measurement, mitigation, monitoring and reporting. The discussed issues are presented in the context of the Polish banking market. It is not only characterized by stability, security but also high innovativeness. The contemporary paradox is revealed in the fact that the essence of banking activity is based on the proper risk management (reason for numerous regulations and controls), but in practice the banks take into account important, cultural factors to a minimal extent.

The paper presents the results of the study on the impact of household’s financial well-being, activity on the financial market, socio-demographic characteristics, and risk attitude on the level of its saving deposits in the euro area. The regression analysis of the saving deposits formation is based on the Eurosystem HFCS data relating to 50,456 households residing in 14 euro area countries. The obtained results allowed to confirm the significant impact of selected variables related to the considered sets of household features, e.g. net wealth, on the analysed phenomenon in the group of countries. However, the heterogeneity of the member states resulted in the importance of their local conditions as well.

Even though that cooperative banks have a small part in a value of credits and deposits compared to whole Polish banking sector, their presence on the market is visible. Their main area of operations, as opposed to commercial banks, are small cities and rural areas, enabling them to reach customers from wider region using less resources. The group of 558 cooperative banks operating in Poland is not homogeneous in terms of scale of operations and profitability, despite the comparable products and marketing channels available for them. The aim of this research is to find whether the differences in cooperative banks financial results are related to differences in the local market conditions. Cooperative banks operating in urban areas, with a higher competition, lower unemployment rate and lower share of agricultural entities in total business entities have a higher exposure to risk and interest income. Such relations could be used for a more complex efficiency analysis of cooperative banks and their branches.