KNF

The Polish Financial Supervision Authority (Komisja Nadzoru Finansowego, or KNF) is the unified financial regulatory body of the Republic of Poland, established in 2006 under the Act on Financial Market Supervision. The KNF is responsible for the comprehensive supervision of Poland's financial sector, including banking, capital markets, insurance, pension funds, and payment institutions. As an EU member state regulator, the KNF operates within the framework of European financial regulation, including MiFID II, and Polish-licensed investment firms benefit from passporting rights that allow them to provide services across all EU and EEA member states. The KNF supervises the Polish financial market through its two main bodies: the supervisory board (Komisja Nadzoru Finansowego) and the executive body (Urząd Komisji Nadzoru Finansowego). The authority is responsible for granting and withdrawing licenses, conducting ongoing supervision of regulated entities, and enforcing compliance with financial regulations. For forex and CFD brokers, the KNF requires firms to obtain authorization as investment firms (dom maklerski or spółka prowadząca dom maklerski) under the Polish Act on Trading in Financial Instruments. The authorization process involves a thorough assessment of the applicant's financial resources, organizational structure, management competency, risk management systems, and compliance infrastructure. Polish-licensed investment firms must meet EU-mandated capital adequacy requirements, including minimum initial capital of EUR 200,000 for firms that hold client money and EUR 730,000 for firms that deal on their own account. Client fund protection under KNF regulation follows EU standards, requiring investment firms to hold client funds in segregated accounts at approved credit institutions. Polish investors also benefit from the Bank Guarantee Fund (BFG) for bank deposits and the National Depository for Securities (KDPW) for securities holdings, though specific compensation arrangements for investment firm failures are governed by EU directives. The KNF applies all ESMA product intervention measures for CFDs, including leverage limits, negative balance protection, and standardized risk warnings for retail clients. The authority has been increasingly active in recent years in enhancing its supervisory approach and enforcement capabilities, particularly in the area of online trading and investor protection. The KNF maintains a public register of all licensed entities and has the power to impose administrative fines, license restrictions, and other sanctions for regulatory violations.