Ewolucja regulacji prawnych w bankowości spółdzielczej
w Polsce
Authors: Wysocka Ewa 
Published: April 2018

Cooperative banking in Poland has more than 150 years of tradition, going back to the period of Partitions. The first Polish credit associations and cooperatives were established in Greater Poland in the years 1861–1862, in the fashion of credit cooperatives for farmers established by Friedrich Raiffeisen and the so-called cooperative “people’s banks” associating craftsmen, that were founded by Franz Schultze. In 1899, on the territory of the Austrian Partition, small credit institutions, the so-called “Stefczyk Savings Unions” (“Kasy Stefczyka”), were created, associating mainly farmers, In the period of the Second Polish Republic (1918–1939), Polish Agricultural Bank (Polski Bank Rolny) was established in Warsaw (1919). The bank’s task was to provide financial backing for agriculture, and in 1921 it was transformed into State Agricultural Bank (Państwowy Bank Rolny), only to become Agricultural Bank (Bank Rolny) in 1948. It was replaced by Food Economy Bank (Bank Gospodarki Żywnościowej), called into being in 1975 as a financial head office for cooperative banks which originated from saving and loan cooperatives. In the period of the Polish People’s Republic (1952–1989), state-cooperative banking was in place.
The system and economy transformations that took place after 1989 caused crisis and the necessity of state intervention in the Polish cooperative banking. In the years 1990–1994 efforts were made to fix the cooperative banking system through implementation of the Act of June 24, 1994 on restructuring of cooperative banks and Food Economy Bank and on amendments to certain acts. Food Economy Bank was transformed into a joint-stock company as a bank of the National Association of cooperative banks. Besides, nine regional associations were established in the form of a joint-stock company of cooperative banks, which became shareholders of the national bank.
The system and functioning of cooperative banks are currently governed by: Banking Law Act of August 29, 1997, Cooperative Law Act of September 16, 1982 and the Act of December 7, 2000 on functioning of cooperative banks, associating thereof and associating banks. The structure of cooperative banking was based on the division into cooperative banks and associating banks. Two associations of cooperative banks are currently operating in Poland: Bank of the Polish Cooperative Movement (Bank Polskiej Spółdzielczości S.A.) with its seat in Warsaw and Cooperative Banking Group – Bank (Spółdzielcza Grupa Bankowa – Bank S.A.) with its seat in Poznań. All the cooperative banks are covered by the Bank Guarantee Fund and under supervision of the Financial Supervision Authority.
In 2015 the Act of December 7, 2000 on functioning of cooperative banks, associating thereof and associating banks was amended due to the changes implemented in the European Union Law (the so-called CRD IV/CRR package). Financial security of cooperative banks was increased through establishment of the Institutional Protection Scheme (IPS). Cooperative banks are an important element for development of the entire Polish banking system. Therefore, the financial supervision over the entire system of banking and Cooperative Savings and Credit Unions (SKOK) should be conducted in appropriate manner.