Marta Życińska

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

Mastercard was the first corporate partner to believe in the concept of international financial center in Poland and we are happy to be a “founding parent” of this special cross-market cooperation. We believe in the strong potential of Poland as the Next Generation Financial Center, as we see Poland’s strengths grow year by year: advanced infrastructure, quick adoption of innovations, and outstanding work and life quality, which works like a magnet on boosting the potential of human capital.

Certainly, there are areas that need further effort – these will be our focus as partners at Future Finance Poland.  As Mastercard, we established the first specialization within FFP – Digital Payments – and we are pleased to see that our leadership has inspired others to act in their fields of expertise. Soon we will also launch Digital Identity specialization that is close to our core competencies and is critical for the development of digital economy in Poland. Specializations are crucial for overall development of Polish Financial Centre as through them we focus on our advantages, following the example of centers that lead international rankings.

Electronic payments in Poland are already on a world-class level – 3 out of 4 Poles pay cashless, and nearly every fourth payment is made with a mobile device. While further development and innovations are imaginable, we believe that the key is to put emphasis on promotion, so that we get the international recognition that we deserve!
The vision is to work on this promotion along with further strengthening of payment ecosystem in Poland. We aim to do this through creating:

• diverse ecosystem of interacting participants,
• accessible and predictable business and regulatory environment,
• secure and widely used payment innovations.

To make this vision come true, we have already launched three working groups engaging diverse market participants to address identified challenges and seize opportunities related to digital payments in Poland and bring our market to another level.

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?

As Mastercard, we support the development of the markets in which we operate, not only through our direct business activity, but also by strengthening and dynamizing the local ecosystem for innovation. This innovative ecosystem is one of the key reasons why Polish financial sector is worth investing in. Highly digitalized and consumer-centric banks, rapidly expanding fintech scene, or the strong presence of leading technology and R&D players are only a few indicators to prove it.

Also, the current geo-political situation requires a new, regional leader, which has not yet clearly materialized in our part of the world. Poland is perfectly positioned to take on this role. However, our standing in global rankings (such as GFCI ranking) does not reflect our full economic potential, which may be the result of a less favorable perception and limited networking capabilities as compared to other financial centers. 

That is why we hope that Future Finance Poland initiative will help promote Polish financial sector globally and alleviate the discrepancy between the current perception of Poland and the factual state of our innovativeness and digitalization.