Accompanying customers in their ambitious growth, supporting green transformation and the payment of dividends: Citi Handlowy’s strategy for 2022-2024

According to the strategy for 2022-2024, Citi Handlowy will focus on providing its customers in the Polish market with access to specialized financial solutions and expertise in global markets. With its well-established position in the investment banking sector and its membership of Citigroup, the bank will support clients with international needs and aspirations, as well as provide local expertise to foreign companies investing in Poland. The bank has also adopted the sustainable development strategy, which includes supporting clients in green transformation and reducing its own carbon footprint.

The strategy assumes the continued operation of two business segments – institutional banking, which generates around 70% of the bank’s revenues, and retail banking.

“We have ambitious plans to grow our institutional bank over the next three years. We will support businesses on their journey to success and grow with them. We want to be the bank of first choice for clients considering international expansion and provide global solutions to companies operating in our country”, said the general manager Elżbieta Czetwertyńska. “We plan to continue distributing at least 75% of the bank’s profits as dividends to our shareholders. We also want to remain an attractive employer, provide professional development opportunities for our staff and continue to foster a culture of meritocracy.

Key strategy priorities include dynamic growth in client revenues in institutional banking (+8% CAGR in 2022-2024), leveraging our position as the leading investment bank in Poland, involvement in the consolidation of strategic sectors of the economy, targeted actions acquisition of companies in commercial banking (companies with a turnover of 15 million PLN to 2 billion PLN), simplification of processes and revision of credit policy.

The bank intends to acquire new customers with products and services based on world-class solutions, self-service digital processes, based among others on biometrics. The new services, as well as the existing ones, will create an automated ecosystem for convenient and instant communication with the bank. The bank will offer its clients services in the area of ​​risk management solutions for ESG transformation, access to global financial market experts, provide real-time liquidity solutions and dynamic investments to manage financial flows with high volatility.

In retail banking, Citi Handlowy plans to increase its customer acquisition by improving its offering for affluent customers, installment loans and credit card acquiring. Thanks to these actions, the bank plans to achieve profitability in this segment.

A very important element of the bank’s strategy is supporting its clients in transforming their business models towards sustainable development, and integrating environmental and social factors into the bank’s decision-making processes. The bank will lend PLN 1 billion for green transformation to its clients, offering them a range of “green” solutions and consulting services in this regard. Citi Handlowy also plans to reduce its own greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% and reduce its energy consumption by at least 40% by the end of the new strategy term compared to 2019.

For years, Citi Handlowy has built an organizational culture based on fostering and developing talent and supporting diversity. Under the new strategy, the bank will further support employee mobility within its global structure. With a hybrid working model and a culture of change, the bank will continue to train its employees and ensure their well-being.

Main financial objectives for the period 2022-2024

• Group turnover growth – on average 6% per year

• Client revenue growth of an average of 8% per year in the institutional banking segment and 12% per year in the consumer banking segment.

• ROE above 12%

• Cost/income ratio (C/I): 49%

• Average annual cost growth: 3%

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