The 20th Anniversary Gala of the KNF took place on 23 September in the Polish History Museum in Warsaw. The jubilee was the occasion to summarise the two decades of integrated financial supervision in Poland and to thank the people who, through their experience, professionalism and commitment, have built Polish financial supervision for years.

A special moment of the celebrations was the awarding of state decorations to valued employees of the UKNF. The decorations were handed out on behalf of the President of the Republic of Poland by Minister Mateusz Kotecki. The President of the Republic of Poland also addressed the gala participants in a letter. 

Another letter, from the Prime Minister, was read out by Andrzej Domański, Minister of Finance and Economy, who also shared his own perspective on the role of financial supervision and development of the Polish financial market.

Awarded employees of the UKNF

The Gold Cross of Merit for social activity and contribution to the development of Polish financial supervision was awarded to:

• Marcin Mikołajczyk
• Dorota Nowalińska
• Emil Radziszewski
• Krystian Wiercioch

The Silver Cross of Merit was awarded to:

• Wojciech Kiziński
• Łukasz Machalski
• Krzysztof Owczarek
• Sławomir Pomarański
• Anna Redestowicz-Janczura
• Anna Romanowska-Zielonka
• Mariusz Smętek

The Bronze Cross of Merit was awarded to:

• Jolanta Olczak
• Tomasz Zagórski

Information on decorations awarded to the employees of the UKNF can be found on prezydent.pl: State distinctions for distinguished employees of the UKNF.

Address by the Chair of the KNF

The Chair of the KNF, Jacek Jastrzębski, delivered an address at the gala. In his speech, he referred to changes witnessed over the past 20 years in the financial market and in the supervisory environment, emphasising that the objective of contemporary supervision was not only the stability but also the resilience of the market: its ability to absorb shocks and to operate in new, changing conditions.

The Chair also mentioned three values that were of particular importance for the long-term functioning of supervision: competence, courage, and luck. He pointed to the need to constantly broaden the competence of supervisors, e.g. in the area of technology, cybersecurity, as well as prevention of crime, manipulation, and disinformation.

Read the full address delivered by the Chair of the KNF.

20 years of the KNF – watch the jubilee video

The 20th anniversary of the KNF is an occasion to look at the path followed by the Polish financial supervision authority over two decades. You are welcomed to watch the KNF’s jubilee video.

The 20th anniversary of the KNF is, first and foremost, the celebration of those who have built and strengthened Polish financial supervision for the last two decades. As the Chair of the KNF emphasised in his speech, effective supervision required competence, courage and readiness to act in an environment of constant change.