In 2021, the Bank continued to work on increasing access to remote customer services, including self-service processes. This was intended both to ensure personal safety during a pandemic and to simplify and expedite service delivery in the corporate banking market. The process of opening a selfie account for individual customers has been expanded to include the ability to confirm identity using the electronic layer of the eID using the NFC feature on the smartphone (instead of uploading a photo or scan of the ID).
Commitment
Programmes supporting the development and innovation of Polish enterprises
The Pekao Group is involved in the development and promotion of entrepreneurship in Poland, targeting the market with a competitive offer of preferential financing for investment development. A long-standing partner in this effort is the European Investment Bank (hereinafter: EIB). In 2021, another loan agreement at the turn of the years was signed between Pekao Leasing and EIB, for the amount of EUR 100 million. The loan was secured by a guarantee from Bank Pekao. Under the terms of its agreement, a significant portion of the funds have been earmarked to finance energy efficiency improvements and RES development and to prepare a competitive leasing offering for companies owned or managed by women.
Energy efficiency of companies from northern Poland was to be increased by the second edition of Pekao Bank’s Energy Saving Loan. The offer was the result of cooperation between Bank Pekao, the EIB and the Marshal’s Office of the KuyavianPomeranian Voivodeship. As part of the Energy Saving Loan, it was possible to obtain funds for the replacement of machines and devices with more energy-efficient ones. With its help, it was also possible to finance the reconstruction of production lines, construction or reconstruction of installations of renewable energy sources used in the enterprise, as well as many other projects aimed at improving the energy efficiency of companies.
In 2021, another year of the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, an important activity of the Pekao Group was additional support for companies in running their business. As part of cooperation with Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK), a new four-year loan for the amount of PLN 350 million was launched for Pekao Leasing. Within the framework of this project, the company financed the purchase of vehicles and equipment, ultimately intended for Polish entrepreneurs. On the other hand, the POIR (Smart Growth Operational Programme) liquidity loan for entrepreneurs from the Masovian voivodeship was used to help in maintaining the current operations of companies. The budget of the programme for this region amounted to PLN 25 million.
Pekao Bank customers, including the former Idea Bank, were also able to apply for the Financial Shield 2.0 subsidy in January 2021. The purpose of the programme was to provide financial assistance to companies in industries forced to curtail or suspend operations due to the outbreak of COVID-19. In total, PLN 13 billion was allocated to the value of aid for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Entrepreneurs particularly affected by the outbreak of the epidemic could submit their applications via Pekao24, PekaoBiznes24 and Idea Cloud e-banking.
The solution was then made available to corporate customers with an electronic qualified signature – without restrictions and without the need for an in-person meeting or an office visit. The SelfieSign mode, compliant with all regulations and completely safe, also has an additional advantage for a business client, which is the ability to sign a whole set of documents with one click, from anywhere in the world, at a convenient time. Unlike other such solutions, SelfieSign does not entail any product restrictions or transaction limits from the beginning of the relationship. SelfieSign can be used not only by companies, but also by public institutions and local governments. An example was the agreement between the City of Łódź and Pekao Bank to service the local government’s budget. It was signed in October 2021 using the verification mode on „selfie” and authorization of documentation by qualified signature.
Pekao Bank was the first bank in Poland to allow customers from the SME and corporate sectors using PekaoBiznes24 ebanking to make a transfer to the phone. From March 2021, they could make a transfer to the phone number of an individual payment recipient, registered in the Polish Payment Standard (PSP) database – in the BLIK system. The advantages of phone transfers are their real-time processing and the fact that the sender does not need to know the recipient’s account number, and therefore does not spend time obtaining it and entering it into the transfer form. This proved to be particularly important during the pandemic restrictions associated with COVID-19. It allows to quickly credit an employee’s account for the purposes of paying an invoice, making a company purchase, or paying an advance on future remuneration. This form of payment can be used, among other things, to transfer funds as part of a refund, claim or other form of claim by an individual payee, as well as to quickly disburse funds to beneficiaries of insurance or other benefits, such as social security.
Pekao Bank customers have also gained a new platform that brings together and presents a range of financial solutions to help run a business and a collection of useful tips for business owners. The „All in one place” site collects hints of beneficial products and interesting value-added services, presented according to the needs of micro businesses, as well as their stages of development. The platform also features modern tools and attractive offers from partners, such as legal services or IT support.