Banca Transilvania and PKO Bank Polski support Romanian and Polish companies that want to grow their businesses across the two markets. Under the agreement signed today, the two banks will be able to refer corporate and SME clients to each other who need banking services and local support in Romania and, respectively, Poland.

The partnership streamlines one of the essential steps in international expansion — connecting a company with a local bank that already understands the market, the business environment and the needs of companies in that country. For Banca Transilvania clients looking to enter the Polish market, as well as Polish companies that are PKO Bank Polski clients and are interested in Romania, the cooperation means easier access to banking services.

The two banks will broaden their cooperation in corporate banking and correspondent banking services. The partnership thus aims to create a framework that facilitates clients’ operations in Romania and Poland. A first concrete step under the agreement will be the reciprocal opening of nostro and loro accounts in zloty (PLN) and in lei, enabling companies to hold accounts in the national currencies of the two countries.

The reciprocal client referral agreement was signed in Cluj-Napoca, at Banca Transilvania’s Head Office, by Ömer Tetik, Chief Executive Officer, Banca Transilvania, and Cosmin Călin, Deputy CEO Large Corporate, Banca Transilvania, and by Piotr Stolarczyk, Vice President of the Management Board, PKO Bank Polski, and Robert Wlodarski, Director, International & Institutional Banking, PKO Bank Polski.

Our clients are growing, and for more and more companies the next step is outside the country. Our role is to stand by them wherever and whenever, including at this stage, by connecting them with strong partners who know the local market and can help them develop. The partnership with PKO Bank Polski creates a bridge between the business communities in Romania and Poland: it supports Romanian companies that want to expand in the Polish market and, at the same time, facilitates Polish companies’ investments in Romania.

Ömer Tetik
Chief Executive Officer, Banca Transilvania

We are the number-one partner for Polish companies — not only when they expand domestically, but also when they enter new markets. Romania offers tremendous potential for Polish business, and the increasingly close economic ties between the two countries are creating new opportunities for growth. Through our partnership with Banca Transilvania, we will help entrepreneurs build local connections and access the services they need to operate abroad. This is yet another example of putting our strategy into practice: we are expanding PKO Bank Polski’s presence in Europe to support our clients even better in delivering on their business plans.

Piotr Stolarczyk
Vice President of the Management Board of PKO Bank Polski, responsible for the international banking division

BT, another step in supporting companies’ international expansion

For Banca Transilvania, the agreement with PKO Bank Polski is part of a broader effort to support Romanian companies that aim to grow beyond the country’s borders, as well as the Romanian diaspora. BT is thus expanding its role as a partner to entrepreneurs and companies: from supporting their development in Romania to facilitating access to opportunities, expertise and relevant partners in foreign markets.

A recent example is supporting the Beyond Borders program, initiated by Endeavor România and Romanian Business Leaders, which connects Romanian entrepreneurs with business ecosystems in other countries, investors, experts and Romanian business communities in the diaspora. The most recent editions of the program were held in Spain and Greece.