A strong capital market is an opportunity for the złoty and the Polish economy

A strong capital market as a condition for economic growth

At the Asy Bankiera 2026 gala, held on Tuesday in the Senate Hall of the University of Warsaw, one theme stood out clearly: a strong capital market is meant to be one of the pillars of further growth in the Polish economy. That argument was repeated both by award winners and by representatives of public institutions.

Among those recognized with special statuettes were Finance Minister Andrzej Domański and KNF head Jacek Jastrzębski. The organizers stressed that it is their actions that are meant to strengthen financial security and Poland’s credibility in investors’ eyes.

University of Warsaw rector Alojzy Nowak said the Polish economy is now being closely watched outside the country as well. He recalled that he recently gave lectures at Berkeley and Stanford, where interest in Poland was clearly visible.

What the winners said about the market and investments

Andrzej Domański received the Golden Asy Bankiera award for safeguarding the stability of public finances and supporting the debate on investment and economic growth. The minister said Poland aims to join the group of the three most influential economies in the European Union within 10 years.

In his view, the condition for such a leap is precisely a strong capital market. He also pointed to the Personal Investment Accounts project, whose first reading took place in the Sejm. According to the minister, they are meant to become for the market what PPK are today, that is, an additional source of capital inflows.

Jacek Jastrzębski, in turn, emphasized the importance of predictability and trust. As he said, financial supervision based on dialogue should help build a large and competitive capital market, without which entrepreneurs’ ideas will not turn into real projects.

The KNF head also noted that the Polish economy is close to catching up with the West, but needs a “second gear,” meaning greater reliance on innovation. To do that, he said, it needs capital to finance such projects.

Entrepreneurs and investors on the importance of the stock exchange

Among those honored were also representatives of banks, listed companies and investor organizations. Marta Postuła from BGK said the development bank wants to support activities that complement the market, including in the energy and digital transformation.

Warsaw Stock Exchange president Tomasz Bardziłowski said the development of the capital market is the exchange’s main priority. He added that if joint efforts in this area succeed, then in the long run there will be more companies on the market and more investors benefiting from its growth.

Michał Bolesławski, president of ING Bank Śląski, said the bank is ready to support building the third most important economy in the European Union, as the finance minister put it. He also announced plans to encourage customers to invest in order to strengthen the capital market.

Jarosław Dominiak of the Association of Individual Investors pointed out that the average retail investor portfolio is already worth more than 100 tys. zł. He called this proof of economic development and added that small investors are waiting for Personal Investment Accounts.

Also speaking on stage were Adam Góral of Asseco, Zbigniew Jakubas, Waldemar Markiewicz of the Chamber of Brokerage Houses, Piotr Matczuk of the Polish Development Fund, Szymon Midera of PKO Bank Polski and Jakub Swadźba of Diagnostyka. Their remarks came down to a similar conclusion: without capital it is hard to grow companies, scale business and build Poland’s advantage in the region.