Business

Although the 14 companies managing Poland’s Investment Zone did not deliver a blockbuster performance in 2025, many of them posted record results. In 2026 they are expecting major projects, including in the defense sector.

The launch of the first wind farm in the Polish section of the Baltic Sea will mark a watershed moment for the country’s energy sector. The coming months will also bring a number of other developments of major importance for the industry. We have selected several that we see as pivotal for both the market and energy consumers.

Over the past three years, Polish banks have benefited from high interest rates, and in recent quarters they have also set aside significantly lower provisions for Swiss franc loans while issuing an increasing number of mortgage loans. According to experts from five advisory and auditing firms, 2026 should be a good year for the sector, but a repeat of record profits is out of the question. The reasons include the rise in corporate income tax (CIT) and a decline in net interest margins, which cannot be fully offset by higher fees. Key challenges will be deepening customer relationships and the prudent use of artificial intelligence.

The year 2026 is set to mark the start of several major infrastructure projects: the groundbreaking for the Central Communication Port, the launch of the High-Speed Rail network, and the modernization of Warsaw’s Chopin Airport. Yet in a political landscape that is shifting rapidly, can these long-planned milestones actually survive?

The gastronomy sector is fighting to return to normal after a pandemic that turned Polish restaurant tables upside down. But the path is anything but easy.

In 2026 some service centers will close or cut headcount, while new ones – smaller, mostly European and more specialized – will emerge. A major shift driven by artificial intelligence lies ahead.

From October 1, 2025, a deposit-return system comes into force in Poland. What does this mean in practice? What will the first days and weeks of implementing the “deposit” look like in the country?

For more than 25 years, Austria’s Erste Group has dreamed of entering the Polish market. That goal is closer than ever: once it secures the green light from Poland’s Financial Supervision Authority, it will complete the acquisition of a stake in Santander Bank Polska, the country’s third-largest bank. Group CEO Peter Bosek hopes the deal will close by the end of 2025.

More than 16,000 proposals, 600 experts, 100 days of work – and already 11 laws signed. This is the balance sheet of the largest civic deregulation sprint in Poland’s history: the SprawdzaMY initiative, led by Rafał Brzoska. We publish a detailed report reviewing the team’s work to date.

“The future is electric: it will be electrons, not fossil fuels, that power our economy, heat our homes, and drive our transport,” explains Grzegorz Onichimowski, CEO of PSE.