Credit as a source of debts and wealth
Kredyt jako źródło długów i dobrobytu

Summary/Abstract: This article analyses how easily accessible financialised consumer credit changes the social characterof money as such. It is clear that contemporary consumer credit markets entail dangers of increasinglevels of over-indebtedness, as well as opportunities for the growing economic independenceof citizens. Financialised consumer credit is characterised by three factors: complex regulation,the option of resale of debts, and high costs for the customer. My main argument is that the consequencesof financialised consumer credit markets can be governed by arranging institutionsproperly. In other words, it is argued that financialised consumer credit is neither good nor bad ingeneral, but that its social acceptability will be the outcome of a complex regulatory arrangement.To demonstrate the options of such an arrangement, this article investigates the market conditionsin Germany and compares them to some features of Poland.

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