Pekao Bank in Poland prepared an attractive offer for enterprising Ukrainian citizens who decided to run businesses in Poland. The Favourable Business Account includes free account opening and maintenance, free transfers in banking applications, and free card issuance and use.
According to the Act of March 2022, due to the ongoing war, citizens of Ukraine with a PESEL number may undertake and run a business in Poland on the same terms as Poles. This provision applies to sole proprietorships established by citizens of Ukraine. In the first three quarters of 2022, as many as 10.2 thousand sole proprietorships were registered in Poland. Analyzing only the number of sole proprietorships established by foreigners in our country in this period, more than half (54%) were businesses opened by our eastern neighbors. The dominant sector of sole proprietorships opened in 2022 by Ukrainians in Poland are construction companies (24%). However, in the case of all businesses with Ukrainian capital established in 2022 in Poland, the largest group (22%) are activities in the trade industry, mainly activities related to wholesale. It is worth mentioning that two out of three surveyed Ukrainian businesses operating in Poland declare that they will continue to do business in Poland, regardless of the direction of development of the situation in Ukraine [1].
“Bank Pekao notes an upward trend in the number of businesses set up by Ukrainian citizens and the related growing interest in setting up business accounts in Polish banks. For entrepreneurs from Ukraine who are looking for attractive banking service conditions for their business, Pekao Bank has prepared a special offer – the Favourable Business Account,” – says Radosław Twarużek, Director of the Business Customer Department at Pekao Bank.
“The offer can be used by businesses registered in Ukraine or Poland, where a citizen of Ukraine runs a sole proprietorship or a civil partnership. In particular, we wanted to create an attractive banking offer and enable further business development for Ukrainian citizens who opened a business in Poland,” – adds Arkadiusz Skrodzki, Team Leader of the Business Customer Department at Pekao Bank.
The advantages of the Favourable Business Account include free opening and maintenance of a current account and auxiliary accounts in PLN and no fees for online domestic and interbank transfers (Elixir, Sorbnet, to a telephone number) and paper transfers in PLN.
In addition, they can use online banking for free (a new customer will be introduced with the assistance of the Bank employee by phone). Transfer orders (transfers) in foreign exchange, ordered electronically and on paper (Bank’s internal systems, SWIFT, SEPA, Target) will also be executed free of charge. It should be noted that Pekao Bank doesn`t maintain business accounts or make such types of transfers in UAH.
Thanks to the special offer, a Ukrainian citizen running a sole proprietorship won`t pay for issuing and using a debit card (including sending an SMS code by the Bank used to accept an order placed in online banking and issuing a duplicate card). Cash deposits in PLN at the cash deposit machines of Pekao Bank are also free of charge up to PLN 100,000 per month.
The preferential price conditions indicated above are valid for 12 months from the date of opening the Bank account. The special offer can be used until January 31, 2024. More details can be found here (in Ukrainian).
[1] Dębkowska, K., Kłosiewicz-Górecka, U., Szymańska, A., Wejt-Knyżewska, A., Zybertowicz, K. (2022), Ukraińskie firmy w Polsce po wybuchu wojny w 2022 r., Polski Instytut Ekonomiczny, Warszawa, s. 4, 14, 15, 16, 42.
Source: the Bank`s press release dated February 02, 2023
