Prizes and distinctions - Bank Pekao S.A.

Bank Pekao SA Private Banking once again the best in Poland according to the Global Finance magazine.

Global Finance magazine awarded the World's Best Private Banks Awards. Bank Pekao SA Private Banking has been recognized as the best in Poland for the fourth time now.

World's Best Private Banks Awards is the distinction of the Global Finance financial magazine, which publishes analyzes and information on financial institutions from around the world. The Best Private Bank prizes are awarded on the basis of collected reports, market analyzes and assessments of industry analysts, management staff and Clients from the private banking segment. Thanks to this research, Global Finance recognizes banks that are best prepared to create an individualized offer and help Clients effectively navigate in the world of finance that is constantly changing.

Bank Pekao S.A. follows the best European trends of private banking creating an offer for exceptionally demanding customers of this segment. In 2018 Pekao Private Banking expanded its product portfolio and included solutions that enable socially involved investing, the so-called impact investing. This new trend in the philosophy of capital allocation means investing in companies that play a positive and important social, economic or environmental role. In addition, the first foreign branch office of Bank Pekao SA opened in September 2018 in London is to support Polish companies that plan to expand abroad, facilitate relations with private equity funds that are interested in Poland and increase possibilities within the private banking offer.

Pekao Private Banking at every step and with each subsequent prize proves its position as an expert in the private banking segment. The title of the best bank serving the wealthiest Clients, which we received last year, motivated us to continue working. The Private Banking offer is gradually expanding; this year we are also preparing new, unique solutions for demanding clients, said Marek Tomczuk, Vice President of the Management Board supervising Private Banking of Bank Pekao SA.

Bank Pekao SA is the best corporate bank of 2018 in Poland, according to Global Banking and Finance Review 

Bank Pekao received the title of the Best Corporate Bank in Poland for the second year in a row (Best Corporate Bank in Poland 2018), awarded by the international magazine Global Banking And Finance Review. This is an especially valuable award for our Bank, because the efforts of Pekao corporate banking have been noticed by foreign experts.

The awards of the Global Banking and Finance Review magazine are granted to companies that stand out in the global financial industry with their innovativeness, results or strategy in categories such as: banking, forex, hedge funds, pension funds, compliance.

2018 was for Bank Pekao S.A. very successful in corporate banking in terms of the volume and value of transactions; we financed mergers and acquisitions, infrastructure investments and other. We strengthened the position of the leader on the corporate market, where every second large Polish company is our client, says Tomasz Styczyński, Vice President of the Bank Management Board. I always consider awards and distinctions as confirmation that our efforts make a lot of sense and are positively received by clients, but also as a commitment to continue hard work and provide services at the highest world level.

Global Banking & Finance Review is one of the leading international magazines dedicated to financial topics. Its awards, which are decided by a group of international experts, have been granted since 2011. The online and traditional magazine is aimed at business owners, CEOs, financial directors, managerial staff, and analysts. It has recipients almost all over the world.

The PeoPay application of Bank Pekao SA is the global innovation of 2018

Representatives of Bank Pekao SA received the award for the exceptional mobile banking "PeoPay mobile banking application" at the gala on 17 October in Lisbon. The winners were selected from dozens of applications from around the world, as a result of an independent expert vote.

Bank Pekao SA quite recently has begun dynamic work on the digital transformation of its services. After only a dozen or so months of intense activities, we can already compare ourselves with the largest financial institutions in the world in terms of innovation. Such a prestigious award is a confirmation for us that we are becoming a leader in digitization in the Polish banking sector - said Michał Krupiński, CEO of Bank Pekao SA.

As part of the new strategy, Bank Pekao SA focused on digital transformation. We created new mobile banking and its innovative possibilities by looking with the eyes of our clients. We are happy that we provide solutions that are gaining recognition both in Poland and in the world. Such moments confirm that our strategy brings excellent results - said Marek Tomczuk, Vice-President of Bank Pekao S.A. supervising the Retail Banking Division.

As the competition organizers admit, the application from the country on the Vistula river drew attention with its multifunctionality, the use of biometric data for logging in and acceptance of transactions and multi-currency, i.e. the ability to make payment transactions directly from the account in different currencies without additional costs. The possibility of making contactless payments by phone without having a physical card was also appreciated

As the competition organizers admit, the application from Poland drew attention with its multifunctionality, the use of biometric data for logging in and acceptance of transactions and multi-currency, i.e. the ability to make payment transactions directly from the account in different currencies without paying additional costs. The possibility of making contactless payments by phone without the need to have a physical card was also recognized.

PeoPay is a modern mobile banking application that was created to meet the growing expectations of customers. Therefore, as the first in Poland, we decided to use biometrics in the application to accept transactions. On the other hand, the growing number of clients travelling abroad was an impulse to introduce a unique solution enabling convenient phone payments from currency accounts without additional currency conversions - said Bartosz Zborowski, Director of Innovation and Payment at Bank Pekao SA

The Phygital Distribution & Experience category, in which Bank Pekao S.A. won, means the best marriage of traditional and electronic banking. That is what PeoPay is like. It enables, for example, payments at contactless terminals in traditional shops, but also logging in and authorization of transactions using fingerprints or Face ID.

It is a great honour to take part in honouring the most innovative solutions that change the industry of retail financial services - added Vincent Bastid, General Director of EFMA.

The EFMA and Accenture program is aimed at identifying the most innovative projects in the global retail banking sector and encouraging institutions to share best practices in the areas of distribution and marketing of retail banking.

Bank Pekao SA is the best investment bank in Poland

Bank Pekao SA received the title of the international magazine Global Finance "The Best Investment Bank in Poland 2018" for the second consecutive year. Pekao is a participant in the most important structured and leveraged financing transactions on the Polish market, the leader on the corporate bond market and public sector financing.

While working in global banks, I had the opportunity to observe how large corporate transactions are structured and I believe that Bank Pekao is currently presenting the same level. We have scale, strength of relationships, competences and ambitions to invest in our clients and be a trusted advisor in their most strategic decisions. This is confirmed by the distinction we received from Global Finance - says Michał Krupiński, President of the Management Board of Bank Pekao SA.

By awarding the title, an international group of experts analyzed transactions in which Bank Pekao participated in 2017 - their number and volume, the scope of consultancy and service provided, and the institution's ability to structure transactions. The bank's market share, distribution network, pricing conditions as well as the ability to respond to market needs, innovation and reputation were also taken into account.

Among the structured and leveraged financing transactions in which Bank Pekao participated in 2017, the Allegro transaction was distinguished, i.e. financing the largest acquisition of 2017 in the e-commerce sector in Central and Eastern Europe (global amount PLN 5.14 billion). Bank Pekao performed the MLA function in this transaction. The next transaction was the largest call in the history of the Warsaw Stock Exchange funded entirely with Polish capital, i.e. a tender offer for shares in Synthos (transaction value PLN 2.75 billion). The bank acted as co-organizer and exclusive structuring bank, and Pekao Investment Banking was an advisor and intermediary in this transaction. The third transaction was the takeover of Żabka Polska S.A. This is the largest acquisition in the Polish retail sector in which Bank Pekao was a bookrunner and MLA, and Pekao Investment Banking advised the buyer - CVC Capital Partners.

Bank Pekao strengthens its position as the organizer of bond issue programs; in 2017 it took first place on the market of bond issues for enterprises, debt securities of banks and municipal bonds.

In addition, the bank came first in funding the development of public sector infrastructure. Last year, it granted PLN 3 billion in new financing for the public sector, including PLN 1 billion in public transport financing. The Bank participates in all major transactions in financing transport infrastructure by Polish metropolises.

Honourable mentions of the Global Finance monthly were granted already for the nineteenth time. Global Finance is one of the leading international magazines with over 30 years of history. The readers of the magazine are CEOs, financial directors, analysts and managerial staff responsible for making strategic investment decisions in 191 countries around the world.

Bank Pekao SA for the eighth time in a row among the best employers

Bank Pekao SA once again received the Top Employers certification mark and thus was among the unique employers in Poland. The award is granted to companies that exceed the set international standards in the field of HR and are focused on supporting the professional development of their employees, strengthening their competences and skills, transparent action based on accepted values and accepted principles.

The Top Employers certificate is awarded to companies that stand out in terms of implementing the personnel strategy. During the survey, all significant areas of HR department management in the organizations participating in the project are assessed. Experts of the Top Employers Institute, an independent organization that researches a wide range of HR principles and practices among significant global employers and compares them with international standards, evaluate the following areas: talent development strategy, human resources planning, on-boarding, training and development, results management, development of leadership skills, career development and succession planning, remuneration and benefits, and culture.

The condition for receiving the Top Employers award was to achieve the above-average results in each of the categories examined.