Poland Largest Bank PKO BP Receives 79 Million Zloty Fine for Prohibited Loan Clauses
Poland's competition authority fined PKO BP 79 million zlotys for using prohibited loan clauses. The lender must now notify customers and disclose the ruling.
Insights:
On January 26, 2026, the Polish 
PL competition and consumer protection office UOKiK issued a regulatory fine of 79 million zlotys ($22 million) against PKO Bank Polski . The penalty was imposed following an investigation into the use of prohibited clauses within consumer loan agreements, specifically those related to renewable credit limits. The regulator determined that the bank had utilized contractual language that allowed for unilateral interest rate changes without providing clear, precise, and verifiable conditions to the borrower.
PL competition and consumer protection office UOKiK issued a regulatory fine of 79 million zlotys ($22 million) against PKO Bank Polski . The penalty was imposed following an investigation into the use of prohibited clauses within consumer loan agreements, specifically those related to renewable credit limits. The regulator determined that the bank had utilized contractual language that allowed for unilateral interest rate changes without providing clear, precise, and verifiable conditions to the borrower.According to the findings in Poland, the prohibited clauses had been in active use since December 2018. These agreements failed to explicitly state the specific criteria the bank would consider when deciding to change interest rates, leaving customers without a transparent way to understand how their credit costs might fluctuate. This multi-year compliance violation concerned approximately 23,000 loan agreements, though PKO Bank Polskinoted that these affected agreements represent less than 3% of its total portfolio.
