Bank Pekao to support Polish companies in foreign markets, joins forces with Raiffeisen Bank International

Bank Pekao S.A. and Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) have signed a cooperation agreement aimed at supporting clients expanding across European markets. The cooperation will facilitate access to trusted local banking partners and dedicated support in three Central and Eastern European countries.

Pekao clients, ranging from smaller companies to the largest corporations, will gain access to local banking expertise, dedicated support and financial solutions offered by a trusted partner, Raiffeisen Bank International. This will enable entrepreneurs to enter new markets more quickly without the need to independently search for a local banking partner.

Initially, the agreement with RBI covers three Central and Eastern European markets where Polish companies are particularly active or perceive them as destinations with high growth potential. These are the Czech Republic, Romania and Austria. In the future, the cooperation model will be extended to additional countries. Bank Pekao is in discussions with a bank operating in the German market regarding the possibility of establishing a similar partnership arrangement.

Through this initiative, Bank Pekao is further developing a solution supporting the international expansion of Polish enterprises.

It is worth highlighting that the cooperation is a two-way mutually beneficial partnership. Bank Pekao will serve as a partner for RBI clients, namely companies from Austria, the Czech Republic and Romania that already operate in Poland or plan to enter the Polish market. These companies can rely on professional support for business development as well as access to the knowledge and expertise of Bank Pekao, one of the largest financial institutions in Poland, with a strong capital position and extensive experience in serving corporate clients.

An additional convenience across all markets will be the dedicated International Office, which will support clients in their interactions with the partner bank, facilitating the start of cooperation and ensuring efficient client service. As a result, clients will benefit from consistent support, more effective liquidity management and more predictable international transactions.

"As Polish companies expand their operations in foreign markets with greater confidence and on a larger scale access to a respected, credible financial institution becomes increasingly important.  Through our cooperation with Raiffeisen Bank International, we address this issue by facilitating our clients access to local expertise, dedicated support and comprehensive  solutions”, says Robert Sochacki, Vice President of Bank Pekao S.A., supervising the Corporate Banking, Markets and Investment Banking Division.

Bank Pekao’s partner in this cooperation, Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI), is one of the leading corporate and investment banks in Austria and the CEE region. The Group operates in 11 Central and Eastern European markets, offering a broad range of financial services to individual clients, companies and institutions.

Raiffeisen Bank International serves 18.8 million clients, employs 42,000 staff and operates a network of approximately 1,300 branches. RBI shares have been listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since 2005. As of 30 June 2026, Raiffeisen Bank International’s total assets amounted to EUR 205 billion.

“This agreement creates added value for our respective customers, and we thereby strengthen our position as a reliable partner for the CEE region,” said Valerie Brunner, member of the Management Board responsible for CIB Customer Coverage.

The partnership with RBI responds to the specific needs of entrepreneurs. Research conducted among Bank Pekao clients shows that the greatest challenges when starting operations abroad remain issues related to customer identification (KYC), formalities associated with beginning cooperation with banks (onboarding), and the opening of accounts.

For 38 per cent of respondents, the ability to use a local IBAN account is of key importance, while the most frequently indicated challenge is the complicated account opening process and the related formalities.

"The cooperation provides Pekao’s clients with access to local banking expertise and tailored solutions that support their international business activities. We believe that the combination of local market knowledge, international experience and high service standards will enable companies to pursue their ambitions at every stage of development and cross-border expansion," points out Łukasz Januszewski, Vice President of Bank Pekao S.A., supervising the Enterprise Banking Division.

The cooperation model has been built in line with the "capital light" concept, which assumes the use of partnerships rather than building costly foreign infrastructure. As a result, the solution can be rapidly scaled to additional countries without the need for significant investment expenditure.

In the first stage, the project focuses on markets that are particularly important to Polish entrepreneurs. The Czech Republic remains Poland’s second most important export destination within the European Union, Romania is increasingly strengthening its position as Poland’s economic partner, and Austria is an important investment and trading market for Polish companies.

Bank Pekao’s analyses show that a significant proportion of surveyed clients already operate in, or are planning expansion into, the markets covered by the project. The new solution is designed for exporters, importers and e-commerce companies, as well as enterprises with foreign subsidiaries.