Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF): register, licences and requirements
The Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF) is Poland's single financial market supervisor, covering banking, capital markets, insurance, pensions and payments. It authorises national payment institutions (KIP), registers small payment institutions (MIP), licenses electronic money institutions, brokerage houses and investment fund management companies (TFI), and authorises crowdfunding service providers. It must be notified in advance of qualifying holdings in payment institutions and banks, and can object within 60 working days.
How to check a firm on the KNF register
Searches across KNF registers can be conducted online by entity name, register entry number, tax identification number (NIP), or KRS company number. An active entry displays the entity legal name, registered seat, entry date, status (Wpisany / Wykreślony), permitted scope of services, and cross-border passporting notifications.4
- Register of Payment Services and Electronic Money Institutions (e-RUP: KIP, MIP, KIO, AISP, payment bureaus)4
- Register of Alternative Investment Company Managers (Rejestr Zarządzających ASI - ZASI)18
- Register of Lending Institutions and Credit Intermediaries (Rejestr Instytucji Pożyczkowych - RIP)15
- Register of Brokerage Houses and Investment Firms (Domy maklerskie)19
- Register of Investment Fund Management Companies (Towarzystwa Funduszy Inwestycyjnych - TFI)20
- Register of Authorized Alternative Investment Fund Managers (ZASI posiadający zezwolenie)21
- Register of Crowdfunding Service Providers under ECSPR (Dostawcy usług finansowania społecznościowego)22
- Register of Commercial Banks in the Form of Joint-Stock Companies (Banki w formie spółek akcyjnych)23
At a glance
| Official name | Polish Financial Supervision Authority (Komisja Nadzoru Finansowego) |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Poland |
| Type | Integrated financial regulator |
| Headquarters | Warsaw1 |
| Founded | 20062 |
| Website | knf.gov.pl3 |
| Public register | Official public register4 |
| Licence types in the Atlas | 11 |
What KNF supervises
KNF ensures the proper functioning, stability, security, and transparency of the Polish financial market, safeguards public confidence in financial institutions, and protects the interests of market participants.2
- Banking sector including domestic commercial banks, cooperative banks, and credit unions (SKOK)23
- Payment services and electronic money institutions including KIP, MIP, KIO, and AISP4
- Capital market including brokerage houses, investment firms, TFI, public companies, and market infrastructure19
- Insurance and reinsurance undertakings and pension funds (PTE, OFE, PPE)3
- Non-bank consumer lending institutions and credit intermediaries15
- Crowdfunding service providers under European Crowdfunding Regulation (ECSPR)22
- Crypto-asset service providers under the Polish MiCA regulatory regime once enacted24
Licences KNF issues
- Bank · Poland
Commercial Bank licence (bank krajowy w formie spółki akcyjnej)
- CASP · Poland
Crypto-Asset Service Provider authorization under MiCA (zezwolenie na świadczenie usług w zakresie kryptoaktywów)
- EMI · Poland
Electronic Money Institution licence (krajowa instytucja pieniądza elektronicznego - KIO)
- FM · Poland
Investment Fund Company licence (towarzystwo funduszy inwestycyjnych - TFI)
- FM · Poland
Alternative Investment Company Manager registration / licence (zarządzający alternatywną spółką inwestycyjną - ZASI)
- IF · Poland
Brokerage House licence (dom maklerski)
- Credit · Poland
Crowdfunding Service Provider authorization under ECSPR (dostawca usług finansowania społecznościowego)
- Credit · Poland
Lending Institution registration (instytucja pożyczkowa - RIP)
- PI · Poland
Account Information Service Provider registration (dostawca świadczący wyłącznie usługę dostępu do informacji o rachunku - AISP)
- PI · Poland
National Payment Institution licence (krajowa instytucja płatnicza - KIP)
- PI · Poland
Small Payment Institution registration (mała instytucja płatnicza - MIP)
Lesser-known services for applicants
Pre-application meeting / pre-assessment
KNF provides free pre-application consultations and informal preparatory meetings for prospective fintech applicants via the Department of Payment Services and Department of Financial Market Development. Applicants can present draft business models, clarify regulatory categorization, and obtain guidance on documentation requirements prior to formal application submission.5
Innovation hub
Program Innovation Hub is run by the FinTech Financial Innovation Department. FinTech firms and startups can submit questions using an online form to obtain non-binding regulatory explanations, interpretations of supervisory practices, and clarification of licensing criteria free of charge.6
Regulatory sandbox
KNF operates virtual sandboxes including the PSD2 Open API Virtual Sandbox (Piaskownica Wirtualna PSD2) and the DLT Virtual Sandbox (Piaskownica DLT, developed with KDPW). These sandboxes provide synthetic testing environments with simulated financial data; they do not grant statutory waivers or regulatory exemptions from Polish financial legislation.6
Application portal: Portal KNF is an online platform for supervised entities and applicants, providing digital licensing submissions, regulatory filings, statistical reporting, and integration with ePUAP and e-Deklaracje.7
Fee schedule: Prime Minister Regulation on supervisory contributions and statutory licensing fees for KNF oversight across banking, payment, capital, and insurance markets.8
Compare with other regulators: pre-application meetings · sandboxes and innovation hubs.
Statistics
Fees and timelines
| Licence | Fee | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| National Payment Institution licence (krajowa instytucja płatnicza - KIP) | application | EUR 1,250 equivalent in PLN9 |
| Small Payment Institution registration (mała instytucja płatnicza - MIP) | application | PLN 61610 |
| Electronic Money Institution licence (krajowa instytucja pieniądza elektronicznego - KIO) | application | EUR 1,250, payable in PLN, for the permit application9 |
| Brokerage House licence (dom maklerski) | application | EUR 4,500 equivalent in PLN11 |
| Brokerage House licence (dom maklerski) | annual | Up to 0.5% of average 3-year revenue, min EUR 75012 |
| Alternative Investment Company Manager registration / licence (zarządzający alternatywną spółką inwestycyjną - ZASI) | annual | EUR 750 equivalent in PLN13 |
| Crowdfunding Service Provider authorization under ECSPR (dostawca usług finansowania społecznościowego) | annual | Up to 0.5% of average 3-year revenue, min EUR 75014 |
| Lending Institution registration (instytucja pożyczkowa - RIP) | application | PLN 61615 |
| Licence | Statutory deadline | Observed |
|---|---|---|
| National Payment Institution licence (krajowa instytucja płatnicza - KIP) | 3 months from a complete application16 | not published |
| Small Payment Institution registration (mała instytucja płatnicza - MIP) | 3 months from a complete application10 | not published |
| Electronic Money Institution licence (krajowa instytucja pieniądza elektronicznego - KIO) | 3 months from a complete application16 | not published |
| Brokerage House licence (dom maklerski) | 2 months from a complete application17 | not published |
Changing the owner of a licensed firm
Prior notification with an objection period. Acquiring or increasing a qualifying holding needs prior notification to the KNF, which can object within 60 working days (extendable by up to 20 working days while it waits for information). For national payment institutions the thresholds are 20%, 30% and 50% (Payment Services Act, Art. 72a); for banks they are 10%, 20%, one third and 50% (Banking Law, Art. 25). Shares acquired in breach carry no voting rights.16
Buying a company that already holds one of these licences is often faster than applying. See ready-made licensed companies · crypto digital assets · emoney payments.
Laws KNF applies
- Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation: Regulation (EU) 2023/1114
- Directive (EU) 2015/2366 on payment services in the internal market: Directive (EU) 2015/2366
- Directive 2009/110/EC on the taking up, pursuit and prudential supervision of the business of electronic money institutions: Directive 2009/110/EC
- Directive 2014/65/EU on markets in financial instruments: Directive 2014/65/EU
- Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive: Directive 2011/61/EU
- European Crowdfunding Service Providers Regulation: Regulation (EU) 2020/1503
- Digital Operational Resilience Act: Regulation (EU) 2022/2554
Recent and upcoming changes
- 2026-07-01: Expiry of the 18-month MiCA Art. 143(3) transitional grandfathering period for AML-registered virtual currency businesses in Poland, leaving domestic crypto firms without a national licensing gateway pending enactment of the Polish Crypto-Assets Market Bill.24
- 2025-01-17: Direct application of the EU Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA, Regulation 2022/2554), establishing harmonized ICT risk management, incident classification, and third-party oversight across all KNF-supervised financial institutions.25
- 2024-01-01: Implementation of enhanced consumer credit supervision under the Consumer Credit Act, requiring non-bank consumer lenders to maintain minimum capital of PLN 1,000,000 and enter KNF RIP register.26
- 2023-11-10: Expiry of transitional grandfathering under the European Crowdfunding Regulation (ECSPR, Regulation 2020/1503), making KNF authorization mandatory for all Polish crowdinvesting platforms.22
Contacts and public register
Address: ul. Piękna 20, 00-549 Warszawa, Poland1
Website: knf.gov.pl3
Check whether a firm is licensed: official register4 · official register18 · official register15 · official register19 · official register20 · official register21 · official register22 · official register23.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a Polish KIP licence and a MIP registration?
A National Payment Institution (KIP) licence requires EUR 125,000 initial capital, offers unrestricted payment volumes, and allows EU-wide passporting. In contrast, a Small Payment Institution (MIP) registration has no initial capital requirement and a fast 3-month administrative process, but restricts total payment volume to EUR 1,500,000 monthly and operates strictly within Poland without cross-border passporting rights.
Can a fintech firm obtain a MiCA CASP licence from KNF in Poland?
Not yet for domestic licensing. The Polish Parliament has not completed the enactment of the Crypto-Assets Market Bill designating KNF as the statutory competent authority. While domestic applications cannot be processed, crypto firms licensed as CASPs in other EEA member states can passport their crypto-asset services into Poland.
Does KNF provide a regulatory sandbox or pre-application support?
Yes. KNF operates the Program Innovation Hub, which offers free regulatory guidance and informal pre-application meetings for fintech founders. KNF also runs virtual testing sandboxes for PSD2 Open APIs and DLT applications, although these operate as policy environments using synthetic test data rather than offering statutory rule exemptions.
What are the main application and supervisory fees for a Polish payment institution?
A national payment institution (KIP) pays EUR 1,250, in PLN, when it applies for a permit. After authorisation, payment institutions pay an annual contribution to the cost of supervision, at a rate the KNF announces each year.
How does KNF regulate changes of control in licensed payment institutions?
Acquisitions of qualifying holdings of 20%, 30%, or 50% of voting rights or capital in a licensed KIP require prior notification to KNF under the 60-working-day objection regime. KNF evaluates the acquirer reputation and financial stability; unauthorized share acquisitions result in statutory suspension of voting rights. MIP registrations do not require change-of-control clearance.
Sources
- knf.gov.pl: dane teleadresowe · retrieved 2026-09-24
- bip.knf.gov.pl: status prawny · retrieved 2026-09-24
- knf.gov.pl · retrieved 2026-09-24
- e-rup.knf.gov.pl · retrieved 2026-09-24
- knf.gov.pl: procesy licencyjne rejestrowe · retrieved 2026-09-24
- knf.gov.pl: komunikaty · retrieved 2026-09-24
- knf.gov.pl: portal knf · retrieved 2026-09-24
- knf.gov.pl: krajowe instytucje platnicze · retrieved 2026-09-24
- knf.gov.pl: oplaty i koszty · retrieved 2026-09-24
- knf.gov.pl: Rejestracja MIP · retrieved 2026-09-24
- knf.gov.pl: oplaty koszty · retrieved 2026-09-24
- knf.gov.pl: grupa III · retrieved 2026-09-24
- knf.gov.pl: zarzadzajacy alternatywnymi spolkami nwestycyjnymi · retrieved 2026-09-24
- knf.gov.pl: grupa VII · retrieved 2026-09-24
- rpkip.knf.gov.pl · retrieved 2026-09-24
- knf.gov.pl: zezwolenie rozpatrywanie wniosku · retrieved 2026-09-24
- knf.gov.pl: zezwolenie rozpatrywanie wniosku · retrieved 2026-09-24
- zasi.knf.gov.pl · retrieved 2026-09-24
- knf.gov.pl: domy maklerskie · retrieved 2026-09-24
- knf.gov.pl: TFI i FI · retrieved 2026-09-24
- knf.gov.pl: zarzadzajacy asi posiadajacy zezwolenie · retrieved 2026-09-24
- knf.gov.pl: dostawcy uslug finansowania spolecznosciowego rejestr · retrieved 2026-09-24
- knf.gov.pl: Banki w formie spolek akcyjnych · retrieved 2026-09-24
- knf.gov.pl: Stanowisko UKNF nadzor nad krypto 96996 (PDF) · retrieved 2026-09-24
- eur-lex.europa.eu: TXT (32022R2554) · retrieved 2026-09-24
- dziennikustaw.gov.pl: 1028 · retrieved 2026-09-24
Applying to KNF, or buying a firm it licenses?
Tell us your business model and target markets. We check the fit before you spend on an application, then handle the licence end to end.
A free preliminary assessment: we check your business model against the licence before you spend on an application. We handle this licence and any other fintech licence, including jurisdictions the Atlas does not cover yet.