Banken-Gipfel: Österreichs größte Bank will bei polnischer Tochter aufstocken

In a recent Banken-Gipfel at the Handelsblatt, Peter Bosek, the CEO of Erste Group, Austria's largest bank, expressed his intention to increase its stake in its Polish subsidiary. The CEO emphasized that he would like to see more ownership, stating that if he has something good, he wants more of it. However, he stressed the importance of waiting for the right moment and holding onto the necessary capital.

In the previous year, Erste Group had acquired a 49% stake in the then Polish subsidiary of Spanish banking giant Santander, which was the third-largest bank in Poland. The purchase price amounted to approximately 6.8 billion euros. The deal was finalized at the beginning of 2026 and resulted in the bank being renamed Erste Bank Polska.

Poland's economy has been growing steadily faster than that of many other EU countries, rising by more than three percent last year. This acquisition is considered one of the largest foreign purchases made by an Austrian company and one of the biggest European bank mergers in recent times. Erste Group now has a total of approximately 23 million customers, with six million of them in Poland.

Bosek estimated that IT integration would take between one and two years. Culturally, the integration has been very encouraging. Erste Bank, which operates in eight countries, is accustomed to functioning as a network bank, working with different groups and in various countries. Bosek believes that mergers should be mutually agreeable.

He noted that hostile takeovers in banking are particularly challenging. In Germany, discussions have been sparked by Italian banking giant Unicredit's acquisition of Commerzbank, which is set to control nearly 50% of its shares. This would give the Italians a majority at the next shareholder meeting and allow them to take control.

Commerzbank CEO Bettina Orlopp called for a change of approach in Mailand, stating that a hostile takeover does not work. She urged the leadership of Unicredit and Commerzbank to come together and align their strategic plans.