The growing popularity of PayTechs is increasingly challenging the position of traditional financial institutions in Poland. According to the World Payments Report 2026 by Capgemini, as many as 26% of Polish merchants plan to switch their payment service provider within the next year. The reasons are clear: long processes, limited flexibility, and a lack of features that are now considered standard by modern businesses.
Poland’s payments market is undergoing a profound transformation — more and more companies are looking for partners that operate at the speed of technology. PayTech players are entering the market with simple, transparent, and highly automated solutions, while banks remain reliant on complex structures and heavy bureaucracy. As a result, switching payment providers is no longer perceived as a risky experiment, but rather as a strategic decision to improve business efficiency.
The regulations that unlocked the revolution
A key turning point that enabled PayTechs to compete with banks across Europe — including in Poland — was the introduction of PSD2 (Payment Services Directive 2) by the European Union. In force since 2018, PSD2 opened the banking sector to Open Banking — the secure sharing of customer data with external providers, with user consent.
This gave PayTechs access to two fundamental capabilities: account data aggregation (AISP) and direct payment initiation (PISP) without relying on card schemes. This regulatory openness — paired with operational agility and fast technology deployment — allowed new entrants to deliver faster, cheaper, and more business-fit solutions.
PayTechs are accelerating — banks are still stuck at a red light
In today’s payments market, speed directly drives loyalty. While PayTechs can activate a new service in under an hour, onboarding at Polish banks can take up to a week — and cost more than twice as much. For SMEs, every hour of delay is a direct revenue loss.
“In a world where every hour of delay means real financial loss, Polish banks need to start thinking like technology companies,” says Ireneusz Wieczorek, Cards & Payments Lead at Capgemini Poland. “Shortening onboarding, simplifying IT back-ends, and using intelligent tools — such as GenAI in service and verification — is no longer optional. PayTechs have already proven it can be done without compromising quality or security.”
Trust is no longer enough — alignment matters more
Even though 62% of Polish firms still declare greater trust in banks, they increasingly choose PayTechs — simply because these players better understand their specific operational needs. Restaurants want seamless integrations with delivery platforms, retailers expect automated loyalty programs, and service companies demand effortless recurring billing.
According to the report, 74% of Polish merchants expect instant and intuitive onboarding — but only 1% of surveyed bank representatives believe their institution can deliver such an experience. The expectation gap is widening every year.
“Trust remains important, but it is no longer sufficient. Banks must understand clients’ business models and offer modular solutions — scalable and customizable on demand,” emphasizes Wieczorek. “Strategic collaboration with fintechs and PayTechs will be essential to stay relevant and regain preferred-partner status.”
Technology defines competitiveness
Globally, 60% of PayTechs have already deployed AI-driven solutions — compared with only 41% of banks. The gap is even greater in Payment Orchestration (70% vs. 47%) and digital identity (59% vs. 38%). Polish data is slightly more varied — but confirms the same pattern: local banks are still slower than global competitors.
The report also highlights that Polish merchants lost nearly 2% of their revenue in the last 12 months due to payment fraud. That’s an area where AI and machine learning can deliver immediate impact — detecting anomalies and blocking suspicious transactions in real time.
“Banks have massive strengths — trust, licenses, and transactional insight. The next step is transforming that into competitive advantage,” says Wieczorek. “Combining these assets with modern technology and agility would not only close the current gap — it could redefine bank-merchant relationships entirely.”
Time for a new strategic mindset — from reactive to innovative
Many bank leaders admit they do invest in innovation — but struggle to scale beyond pilot programs. PayTechs, on the other hand, operate in continuous delivery mode — testing, launching, iterating, and adding new capabilities in a matter of weeks.
Capgemini experts stress that operational flexibility will determine the future of the banking sector in Poland. Banks that simplify IT architecture, adopt a composable approach, and enable seamless platform integrations (API, ISVs, PayFacs) will gain the ability to keep pace with market dynamics.
“Partnership over competition, openness to platform models, and data-driven tools — these factors will determine which banks hold their ground in the coming years,” says Wieczorek. “Those who move first won’t just retain clients — they can lead Poland’s payment transformation.”
Banks still have an advantage — but the window is closing
The report concludes that banks’ biggest strategic edge lies in areas they already dominate — local POS payments, SME partnerships, and bundled value-added services such as credit and insurance. In these sectors, they can leverage existing infrastructure and market familiarity — as long as they pair it with flexible, tech-ready tools.
World Payments Report 2026 leaves no doubt: traditional financial institutions still have a “right to win” — but only if they are willing to play by new rules. Instead of competing with PayTechs on speed, they can combine their natural strengths — scale, security, regulatory stability — with the modern experience that now defines customer loyalty.
