Poles prefer to save than invest

Poles prefer to save than invest

Low level of financial education, lack of transparent offer and limited trust in financial institutions are the biggest barriers to investing for Poles – according to the study “(Non-)investment image of Poles” by Accenture. However, if Poles do invest, they are rather open to technological novelties.

According to Accenture data, only 22 percent of surveyed Poles declared having any investment products in 2023. On the other hand, Poles are eager to save, because they have accumulated over PLN 1.5 trillion on bank deposits and cash, which is as much as 80 percent. our financial assets. Poles save because, first of all, they want to protect themselves against random events, but almost half of us protect themselves against inflation in this way, and every third respondent simply saves for retirement.

According to our estimates, if current savings preferences are maintained, by the end of 2025 Poles can accumulate an additional PLN 200 billion in accounts and deposits. If only half of these funds were allocated, for example, to investing in shares, their nominal value in household portfolios would double. There is still a huge investment potential in Polish society. If the Polish brokerage industry takes up the challenge to release it, both companies and their clients will benefit.

– said Michał Bazarnik, Managing Director of Accenture in Poland.

Among Poles who decide to make some investments, as many as every fifth – in addition to having a main brokerage account in a Polish company – also uses foreign investment platforms. This is because foreign companies have a wide investment offer, low fees and high quality and availability of mobile applications. Moreover, Poles use foreign companies because they are interested in cryptocurrencies. It is estimated that up to 3 million Polish investors may have this type of assets, mainly Bitcoin and Ether, in their investment portfolio. Almost 60 percent investors would like cryptocurrencies to be offered by traditional financial institutions, which would make their storage easier.

Polish investors keep up with the times and the development of artificial intelligence. As it turns out, as many as 51 percent Poles are able to trust an investment recommendation created by an algorithm that would take into account the financial situation, preferences and goals of the investor, and 43 percent would trust an algorithm more than a human.