Służebna rola banków w polskiej gospodarce
The Ancillary Role of Banks in the Polish Economy

Summary/Abstract: As trustworthy public institutions, banks have played – and will continue to play – a key role in the national economy. Over the centuries they have undergone a constant evolution that has broadened their range of services. They have thus been transformed from typical credit institutions into thriving financial conglomerations doing business throughout the financial market. What is more, they have become institutions whose basic aim is profit maximization. But this purely economic aim has left the more and more frequent calls for banks to take social responsibility for the fortunes of the national economy somewhat obscured. As they are institutions granted public licences they should play an ancillary role in the economy. They are granted the privilege of taking deposits, extending loans and managing clients’ money. In return for these privileges they should conduct their business not only for their owners but also for the well-being of the national economy and the prosperity of society. The aim of this paper is therefore to present a synthetic measure of the ancillary role of banks.

• Details
• Contents