Alan Keir, global co-head of commercial banking at HSBC, has opened Britain's first dedicated Polish Business Unit (PBU) at an official event in Ealing.
The move comes in recognition of the large numbers of Polish immigrants to the UK over the last few years, with West London in particular, emerging as a thriving centre for Polish entrepreneurs. The event was also attended by Sandeep Sachdeva, head of multicultural commercial banking at HSBC, overseeing Polish and South Asian businesses at HSBC, along with customers, eminent members of the Polish community and local VIPs.
With over 600,000 Polish immigrants now firmly established in the UK, the PBUs located in Ealing, Hammersmith and Kensington, in West London, will specifically target entrepreneurs from this rapidly growing and increasingly dynamic sector of the population.
Alan Keir said: "We're tailoring our commercial services to the diverse needs of companies and communities in the 21st Century by offering a dedicated Polish Business Unit. It's a unique development in the banking industry; meeting the specific needs of Polish businesses in Britain who need a bank who can, quite literally, speak their language and make UK banking accessible to them. We believe our new unit will help the Polish business community to grow and prosper in the UK."
Some of the facilities accessible through the unit include:
- Dedicated Polish speaking commercial relationship managers, offering HSBC's range of commercial banking services to Polish customers
- 'WorldPay' - HSBC's offer to Polish business and personal customers allowing them to send funds up to £2K, back to Poland for only £9 per payment
- Electronic and telephone banking, providing 24 hour service and customer support
- A range of automated facilities to pay-in and withdraw cash as well as a dedicated business counters
- Connecting with HSBC's branches in Poland, where possible
- Internet pages in Polish on HSBC's website.
Sandeep commented: "The launch of this Polish banking unit in West London is a natural continuation of how HSBC has always done business. We are an international bank with local expertise and we've successfully supported entrepreneurs in various international communities. We were pioneers in setting up South Asian business units in the UK and realise the needs of our customers can be different; the Polish Business Unit is an excellent example of this philosophy. Our large global reach assists our business customers to not only take advantage of our international network but allows HSBC to appreciate the energy and richness different people can bring to our economies."