Polish lenders Idea Bank Idea Bank SA and Getin Noble Bank SA, controlled by businessman Leszek Czarnecki, repaid refinancing loans provided by the Polish central bank at the end of 2018 to prop up their liquidity.

The central bank provided Idea and Getin Noble with loans in the amount of 1.05 billion Polish zlotys and almost 4.8 billion zlotys, respectively, after their liquid coverage ratios fell below the required minimum to the level of 21% for Getin Noble and 79% for Idea Bank.

Both lenders experienced an outflow of deposits in November and December of 2018, after Czarnecki accused the then head of the Polish Financial Supervision Authority of soliciting a bribe in exchange for promising preferential treatment for Getin Noble. In addition, Idea Bank was placed by the Polish FSA on its warnings list in November for conducting brokerage activities without a license between 2016 and 2018.

Idea Bank fully repaid its central bank refinancing loan in January, while Getin Noble paid the financing back in February, with their liquidity coverage ratios currently exceeding the required 100% minimum and amounting to 143% for Getin Noble and 166.3% for Idea, the two lenders noted in their March 15 filings.

As of March 15, US$1 was equivalent to 3.80 Polish zlotys.