Adrian Kurowski

Why did you decide to join Future Finance Poland and what are your objectives and plans for this initiative?

Visa has decided to join this initiative due to shared values and vision. We have decided to particularly engage in the area of Open Finance (FIDA), one of the most promising fields for the development of modern, data-driven finance. As one of the world’s leaders in digital payments we aim to support the Polish banking and financial sector in facing challenges and leveraging opportunities arising from openness to data coming from outside traditional banks — such as data from investment companies or credit bureaus. The goal is to enhance user convenience, provide a broader range of available financial solutions, and further improve their security in the time of rapid technological advances that have changed the way we spend, manage our money, and live our lives. We see great promise in Open finance. It can increase competition and innovation while enabling better access to financial products for everyone, everywhere. But it’s also a significant challenge as there’s a need to put in place proper safeguards to protect consumer data.

Why invest in Poland? This is one of the key questions when it comes to the FFP initiative. What are your thoughts on that matter?

Well, as a matter of fact, Poland is a highly digitized country that has been important for Visa for years. Seeing the great potential in it, we have started operating here in 1995 and ours was the first payment card in Poland. You can say, that since the early digital days, Visa innovations have underpinned many of the ways that consumers and merchants pay and are paid in this country. With Visa as a driving force in digital payments, Poland became the first market in the world to achieve 100% contactless availability. Insights from the Polish market have also inspired the creation of an innovative method of card payment in online stores – Visa Mobile. That’s why, right here, the company often implements new solutions, engages in groundbreaking sector projects, such as the Cashless Poland Foundation and is opening the first of its kind for Visa in Central and Eastern Europe Global Technology and Product Hub.

Why did you decide to open the Hub in Poland?

Poland’s highly skilled workforce and vibrant IT sector make it an ideal location not only for us, but for investors in general, to develop new payment solutions and seek innovations, that can for example change the way we pay, accept transactions, send funds, or manage finances. The entry of new generations that expect a more seamless world, the consumerization of money movements, and economic changes make it an exciting time to be doing what we do, helping our clients and partners navigate these changes and prepare for this new age of commerce. And I’m glad we can do this in Poland.