Bank Zachodni WBK
 Bank Zachodni WBK  (Bank)    | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Headquarters | Wrocław, Poland |
| Leader | Bank Zachodni WBK/Chairman |
| Staff | 9,500 |
| Subpage | •Bank Zachodni WBK/Chairman |
| Foreign-owned Polish bank | |
Santander Bank Polska SA, formerly Bank Zachodni WBK (BZ WBK) (eng. West WBK Bank - the WBK abbreviation below) is a Polish bank based in Wrocław, Poznań and Warsaw. It is the third largest bank in Poland in terms of assets value and the number of outlets. It was formed in 2001 by the merger of Bank Zachodni S.A. and Wielkopolski Bank Kredytowy SA. Since 2011, the Bank has been owned by the Spanish bank Santander Group.
On 4 January 2013, Bank Zachodni WBK merged with Kredyt Bank which Santander bought from its Belgian owners KBC Bank. This consolidated its Polish banking business and made Bank Zachodni WBK the third largest bank in Poland by market share. Bank Zachodni WBK has a network of ca. 1000 branches and provides services to 3.5m customers.
On 10 September 2018, Bank Zachodni WBK changed its name to Santander Bank Polska SA. Also, the Bank's headquarters were moved from Wrocław to Warsaw.[1]
History
In March 1995, the Irish group Allied Irish Banks (AIB) acquired 16.2% of shares in Wielkopolski Bank Kredytowy from the State Treasury. In the following years, the group acquired more WBK shares to buy the control stake (80%) in Bank Zachodni in 1999. On 13 June, pursuant to the resolution of Banking Supervision Commission dated 7 March 2001, Bank Zachodni WBK was established.
On 23 June 2001, the bank's shares were floated on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
On 30 March 2010, AIB announced the intention to sell its stake in Bank Zachodni WBK S.A, and on 10 September these intentions were confirmed by announcing the buyer – Spanish group Santander which was to buy 70.36% of shares worth EUR 3,1bn from AIB. On 30 March 2011, in a tender offer, Santander acquired 69,912 m company shares taking up 95.67% of its stake.
In 2012, the Santander Group reached an agreement with Belgian KBC Bank on the acquisition of Kredyt Bank, owned by the latter. In the aftermath of acquiring Kredyt Bank by the Santander Group, the two Polish banks merged. The entry in KRS on 4 January 2013, made Bank Zachodni WBK S.A. a legal successor of Kredyt Bank. The merged bank operates as Bank Zachodni WBK and the name Kredyt Bank is used as a trademark of some products.
