- 76% of Poles believe that geopolitics will have a negative impact on their personal finances, according to CRIF’s “Banking on Banks 2026. Financial services in times of uncertainty” report.
- Armed conflicts top the list of concerns – in the Middle East and in Ukraine, feared by 53% and 48% of Poles respectively.
- 73% of Polish consumers are also concerned about cyberattacks. The European average is 63%.
- However, despite these concerns, only 23% of Poles expect to have less money left at the end of the month – 12 percentage points below the average for all surveyed countries.
The latest, fifth edition of CRIF’s “Banking on Banks” report focuses on the role of financial service providers in supporting economic growth, resilience and security. For the first time, the survey covered both consumers and business decision-makers from five European markets: Ireland, Italy, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom. So what affects Polish consumers’ sense of security?
Poles point to several main factors. Broadly understood political tensions affecting the financial market come first. As many as 76% of Poles are concerned about their impact on spending – the highest percentage among Europeans. Looking in more detail, 53% believe that the conflict in the Middle East will have a significant impact on their finances, while 46% point to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Inflation and the rising cost of living are also among financial concerns, worrying 48% of respondents.
It is worth noting that concern about the consequences of the war in Ukraine is 10 percentage points higher in Poland than among consumers in Western Europe. This is hardly surprising. After all, the war is taking place just beyond our country’s eastern border. When it comes to assessing the impact of the situation in the Middle East, Polish society is only slightly above the European average – by 3 percentage points.
“In addition to geopolitical threats, which are causing concern across the region, Poles are also paying attention to more ‘direct’ threats, namely financial fraud and cybercrime. As many as 71% of Polish consumers believe that these are becoming an increasing concern. This is natural because, as recent years have shown, the activities of hackers and online fraudsters are not slowing down – they are even gaining momentum. It is worth remembering that fraudsters resort to identity theft by forging documents, creating fake accounts, even in the mObywatel app, or obtaining duplicate SIM cards. Most often, however, they use social engineering. They try to impersonate our relatives or financial institutions we know. That is why we should be particularly cautious and always carefully verify the sender of an email or text message, or the person we are speaking to, if they ask us to provide personal data, credit card details, or login details for an account or mobile application,” comments Kamil Gosławski from CRIF Polska.
Poles are also the most concerned in Europe about the scale of cyber threats at the continental level. 73% of them believe that Europe is now more exposed to financial cyberattacks than a year ago, compared with a European average of 63%, while 67% point to a growing risk for Poland itself. Two-thirds of respondents, 68%, fear attacks originating from abroad, and the same percentage point to the threat posed by the use of artificial intelligence to create new forms of fraud.
How do concerns affect attitudes towards personal finance?
Despite everything, Poles remain optimistic about their financial situation. Only 24% fear that it will worsen over the next 12 months, compared with an average of 27% across all surveyed countries. Meanwhile, only 23% expect to have less money left at the end of the month – clearly below the European average of 35%.
“It is also worth noting that Poles are leaders when it comes to plans to increase spending over the next year. Such a declaration was made by 17% of respondents, compared with a European average of 12%. What is more, one in four Polish consumers, 26%, say they have not felt increased financial pressure over the past 12 months. This is the highest percentage among the surveyed countries. I would also like to emphasise that even when additional financial burdens appeared, Poles found ways to minimise them. Most often, they looked for additional discounts and promotions, 20%, reduced the amount of money they set aside, 19%, and only 18% decided to dip into their savings to cover everyday expenses,” notes Kamil Gosławski from CRIF Polska.
Poles view the financial sector positively
The final part of the survey also examined how consumers perceive financial institutions. Nearly two-thirds of Poles, 64%, believe that financial services significantly support the economic growth of our country. A similar percentage, 67%, believe that Europe should have its own independent network of financial service providers and be less dependent on entities from outside the continent, for example from the United States. However, it is worth remembering that more than half of respondents, 53%, also believe that financial institutions have an obligation to offer affordable products in more difficult times.
