In this year’s edition of the EU-wide stress tests conducted by the European Banking Authority (EBA), Bank Pekao S.A. emerged as the most resilient bank in Europe to adverse macroeconomic scenarios, out of the 64 banks examined.
“The EBA stress tests are a very important measure of how well we are prepared for crises and macroeconomic disruptions. Unfortunately, recent years have brought many such challenges, which makes the resilience of financial institutions, crucial for the stable functioning of the entire economy, all the more important. I’m proud that once again this year, we’ve confirmed that Pekao is among the safest banks in Europe,” said Cezary Stypułkowski, CEO of Bank Pekao.
The EBA stress tests are a regular assessment of the state of European banks, serving as a key source of information for the supervisory review and evaluation process. Their objective is to help competent authorities assess banks’ ability to meet prudential requirements under adverse scenarios. In Poland, two banks were directly tested by the EBA this year, including Bank Pekao.
In the 2025 test, Bank Pekao ranked as the most resilient to stress factors among the 64 banks covered by the study. Resilience is measured as the difference in the consolidated Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) capital ratio (without applying transitional provisions) between the starting point (2024) and the stressed scenario (2027). The result remains the same whether the starting point uses reported indicators or those recalculated according to CRR3.
In previous EBA stress tests in 2023, 2021, and 2018, the bank with the bison in its logo, consistently ranked among the leaders, taking first, second, and third place respectively among the most resilient banks.
According to this year’s stress test results, Bank Pekao’s consolidated CET1 ratio (without transitional provisions) would reach 20.03% in 2027 under the baseline scenario, with a 3-year profit of €3.78 billion, and 17.03% under the adverse scenario, with a 3-year profit of €2.02 billion. Both capital ratios are significantly above regulatory requirements and the bank’s internal capital targets.
Bank Pekao S.A., founded in 1929, is one of the largest financial institutions in the CEE region and the second largest universal bank in Poland, with assets of PLN 333 billion. The bank has the second largest branch network in the country. It is a leader in corporate banking, serving every second among largest corporates in Poland. Pekao holds a prominent position in the market for asset management, brokerage services, and private banking. The diversified business profile of Bank Pekao is supported by a market-leading balance sheet and risk profile, reflected in the lowest risk costs, strong capital ratios, and resilience to macroeconomic conditions (Pekao is the most resilient bank in Europe, taking first place in the stress tests conducted by the EBA in 2023 among 70 banks). Since 1998, Bank Pekao has been listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange and has been a member of several local indices (including WIG 20 and WIG) as well as international indices (including MSCI EM, Stoxx Europe 600, and FTSE Developed). Pekao is among top dividend-paying companies listed in Warsaw, with a total shareholder pay-out of above PLN 20bn over the past 10 years.
