After almost 5 years of turmoil, we can finally say that we have a relatively “normal” year behind us. There were no extras in the form of subsidies for mortgages, but the brake in the form of high interest rates also lost some of its power. In such a market environment, things have become more predictable. Which does not mean that it is less interesting.
The beginning of last year was still marked by the end of the “Safe 2 percent credit”. The sales bars were inflated by preferential mortgages, which customers applied for before the funds for co-financing ran out. The following quarters can be compared to the calm of the sea after a storm. Pessimists expected that after the “drip” was disconnected, the market would face another round of mortgage winter. The reality turned out to be less dramatic – there was no collapse, but there was also no decisive recovery.
No interest rate cuts while improving the financial situation of potential borrowers – this mixture resulted in a slight awakening of demand for housing loans. However, not all players on the market had the appetite to take advantage of such an opportunity. We observed traces of strategic choices in the “Złoty Bankier” ranking, where some long-term participants of the competition struggle were missing. We hope that they will return to the stage next year.
Read also
Golden Banker for the best banks. Once again, we awarded the market leaders
How did we assess banks in the ranking?
Nine institutions entered the competition and presented offers available to customers in Q4 2024 and Q1 2025 for analysis. We supplemented the product review and comparison with an assessment of the institutions' sales results in three quarters of the past year, gaining insight into how borrowers “voted” during that time.
When selecting the winners, we took into account 6 evaluation areas :
- Financing costs (30% of the total assessment). Banks prepared simulations for the indicated client profile, separately in variants with low and standard down payment and with periodically fixed and variable interest rates. We adjusted the weights of the assessment components to the sales structure on the market, where fixed-interest loans prevailed, and contracts with at least a 20% down payment from the borrower were more popular.
- Amount of available financing (20 percent of total score). We scored bank estimates for profile clients in scenarios identical to those for costs.
- Sales results (20%), within which we assigned a higher weight (75% of the assessment in this area) to quarter-on-quarter sales dynamics, and based the remaining part of the assessment on the ranking of mortgage loan sales volumes in the three quarters of 2024.
- Acceptable income (10%), i.e. requirements regarding the type, amount and documentation of sources of loan repayment.
- Service in electronic channels (10% of the total score). We took into account the availability of individual stages of the online loan application procedure, as well as selected elements of after-sales service (e.g. schedule preview, change of installment payment date) in online and mobile banking.
- Product parameters (10%) including, among others, early repayment costs, availability of down payment guarantees or credit holidays.
“Mortgage multitool” on the podium
The winner of the “Golden Banker” ranking in 2025 was Bank Pekao SA , which, not for the first time in the history of the competition, showed itself in this category from an excellent side. The lender with a bison in its coat of arms deserves to be called a mortgage multitasker. The bank offers a full package of proposals in terms of the interest rate formula and the amount of the required own contribution. The institution also participates in a program that allows financing the purchase of real estate without a down payment (after meeting the initial conditions).
In the analyzed scenarios of financing costs, Bank Pekao was always in the lead. It was similar in the case of available amounts, where it did not lead, but placed close to the podium. We also noted no weak points in the area of electronic service, where the lender is only a few steps away from a fully digital process.
It is no surprise that Pekao is also one of the most popular banks chosen by clients looking for financing. In terms of sales results, however, the bank with the bison was inferior to the results that some of its smaller rivals could boast.
A surprise among the awards
The second place winner was Alior Bank , which confirmed its strengths visible in previous editions of the ranking. Let us recall that in last year's competition the institution took third place, and in 2023 – second.
The lender led the comparisons in terms of the amount of financing available. It also performed very well in the cost comparisons in the low down payment scenario. At the same time, it passed the other categories in good style.
Third place went to VeloBank , which can be hailed as a sensation in this year's edition of the mortgage ranking. The bank belongs to a group of institutions that do not have a full range of products for borrowers. The lender's offer includes only loans with periodically fixed interest rates. However, the good parameters of this mortgage variant and the high available financing amounts allowed it to take a distinctive position in comparisons.
VeloBank definitely shined in terms of sales dynamics. The points gained in this area and at least good results in the other evaluation ranges gave this “debutant” bronze. The word debutant is almost appropriate here – the bank already participated in the previous edition of “Złoty Bankier”, but it has been present on the mortgage market only since 2023.
The technological breakthrough we've been waiting for
For the past few years, we have been eagerly awaiting a symbolic moment – the arrival of a true digital mortgage. We have observed how banks cope with the digitization of subsequent stages of the application process, while at the same time expanding the scope of post-sales service in online and mobile banking.
Bankier.pl
In this year's edition of the “Golden Banker”, we are happy to note that the icing on the cake has been placed. PKO Bank Polski boasts a fully remote process, and two more institutions have reported very close to the final stage. Although one could list exceptions in which the paper procedure is still necessary, a qualitative breakthrough has become a fact.
It can be expected that the move to the digital world will be the most important trend in mortgages in the coming months. The distance separating the most advanced and technological peloton will start to decrease. Perhaps on the 30th anniversary of the debut of the first transaction service in Polish banking, we can say that the digital mortgage has become a standard.
