Powszechny Zakład Ubezpieczeń Explained

Powszechny Zakład Ubezpieczeń Spółka Akcyjna
Type:Spółka Akcyjna
Location:Generation Park
Location City:Warsaw
Location Country:Poland
Area Served:Europe
Key People:Beata Kozłowska-Chyła
Robert Jastrzębski
Industry:Financial services
Products:Insurance and Banking
Revenue: €8.6 billion (2019)[1]
Operating Income: €1.63 billion (2022)[2]
Net Income: €722 million (2022)[3]
Aum: €6.98 billion (2022)[4]
Assets: €90.81 billion (2022)[5]
Num Employees:40,805 (2020)[6]
Subsid:AAS Balta
Alior Bank
Bank Pekao
PZU Asset Management Sp. z o.o.
PZU Centrum Operacji SA
PZU Finance AB
PZU Lietuva
PZU Pomoc SA
PZU Tower Sp. z o.o
PZU Ukraine
PZU Zdrowie SA

Powszechny Zakład Ubezpieczeń Spółka Akcyjna, also known as PZU SA (Polish pronunciation:) is a publicly traded insurance company, a component of the WIG30 stock market index and Poland's biggest and oldest insurance company.[7] PZU is headquartered in Warsaw[8] and is the largest financial institution in Poland. It is also the largest insurance company in Central and Eastern Europe.[9]

PZU Group offers a selection of nearly 200 insurance products on the Polish market. The activities of PZU group encompass a comprehensive range of insurance and financial services. The Group entities provide services in the areas of non-life insurance, personal and life insurance, investment funds and open pension fund.

History

Foundation

The company's origin dates back to 1803 when the first insurance company in Poland was established. In the years 1927-1952 the company operated under the name Powszechny Zakład Ubezpieczeń Wzajemnych. From 1952 to 1990 it was operated as a state-owned monopoly under the name Państwowy Zakład Ubezpieczeń (State Insurance Company) and effectively became the largest insurance company in the country.[10]

In 1991 PZU was turned into a joint stock company controlled by the State Treasury as a consequence of the political transformation after 1989.[11] [12] [13]

In December 1991, the PZU Życie joint stock company was founded by Polski Bank Rozwoju and Bank Handlowy in Warsaw. PZU transferred its portfolio of life insurance contracts to PZU Życie.[11]

In 1998, in relation with the reform of the pension insurance system in Poland, PZU Życie formed PTE PZU, a joint stock company, which operates the OFE PZU (Open Pension Fund).[14] [15]

On 5 November 1999, a share purchase agreement was concluded under which Eureko and BIG Bank Gdański SA acquired 20% and 10% respectively of the share capital of PZU.[16] A dispute arose in connection with the implementation of the agreement, which was settled amicably in October 2009. Settlement and sale agreements were concluded between the parties.[17]

In the 21st century

In 2002, the PZU Group started its activities on the Lithuanian insurance market by acquiring shares in UAB DK “Lindra” (PZU Lietuva).[18] With the acquisition in OAO “Skide West” (PZU Ukraina) in 2005, it began operations on the Ukrainian market again.[19]

In the first half of 2008 PZU Group received 11,882.5 million Polish zloty in insurance premiums. This is an increase of 50.6% over the same period in 2007.

PZU was first quoted on the Warsaw Stock Exchange in May 2010.[20]

In 2010 PZU was fined three times by the Polish Financial Supervision Authority for a total of 330,000 PLN.[21]

In 2011, the company received the Jakość Obsługi 2011 Award (Quality of Service Award) and was among the three top insurance companies in the country alongside Allianz and Ergo Hestia.[22]

In March 2014, it was revealed that PZU and Vienna Insurance Group were in the race to acquire rival Lietuvos Draudimas for around $147 million.[23] In 2015 PZU acquired the direct insurer LINK4 in Poland and launched the PZU Zdrowie brand. In the same year, PZU acquired the Baltic businesses of the British RSA Insurance Group for some €360 million. This deal enabled the company to take control of Lithuania’s biggest insurer, Lietuvos Draudimas, Latvian rival AAS Balta, an Estonian unit of RSA’s Danish insurer Codan Forsikring.[24]

In 2015, the transaction to acquire a 25.19% stake in the share capital of Alior Bank SA was completed.[25] The next step was the transaction carried out by Alior Bank to acquire a separate part of Bank BPH, including the core business.[26]

Currently, the PZU SA Group holds 31.94% of shares of the Alior Bank.[27] In December 2016, PZU together with Polish Development Fund acquired Bank Pekao, Poland's second largest bank previously owned by UniCredit, by buying a 32.8 per cent stake in the bank for the amount of PLN 10.6 billion (EUR 2.6 billion).[28]

In 2020, PZU became the first Polish insurer to use artificial intelligence technology developed by Tractable in order to enhance how it reviews its car insurance claims across the country.[29]

In February 2022, in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, PZU initiated a special programme for Ukrainian citizens who have crossed the Polish border and did not have the mandatory automobile insurance. The company decided to contribute the auto insurance premiums for Ukrainian citizens for a 30-day period.[30]

In September 2022, PZU became the first insurance company to sign an agreement with the Swedish-based Insurtech Upptec in order to launch automated, digital claims and to accelerate customer experience and optimize claims processing.[31]

Since August 2022, PZU is a member of the United Nations Global Compact, a pact of the United Nations to help businesses be more sustainable.[32]

Endorsement

From 2021 to 2024, PZU Group was the official partner of Polish tennis player Iga Świątek.[33] [34]

Corporate affairs

Organizational structure

The PZU Group currently comprises a total of 88 companies,[35] some of which include:

Management

List of CEOs:

  • Anatol Adamski, 1985-1990
  • Krzysztof Jarmuszczak, 1990-1993
  • Roman Fulneczek, 1993-1996
  • Jan Monkiewicz, 1996-1997
  • Władysław Jamrożyk, 1997-2000
  • Jerzy Zdrzałka, 2000-2001
  • Władysław Bartoszewicz, 2001
  • Marek Mroczkiewicz (acting), 2001
  • Zygmunt Kostkiewicz, 2001-2002
  • Zdzisław Montkiewicz, 2002-2003
  • Cezary Stypułkowski, 2003-2006
  • Piotr Kowalczewski (acting), 2006
  • Jaromir Netzel, 2006-2007
  • Agata Rowińska, 2007
  • Andrzej Klesyk, 2007-2015
  • Dariusz Krzewina (acting), 2015-2016
  • Michał Krupiński, 2016-2017
  • Marcin Chludziński (acting), 2017
  • Paweł Surówka, 2017-2020
  • Beata Kozłowska-Chyła (acting) 2007, 2020-present[36]

PZU Group's operations

Products and services

The PZU Group offers insurance services in the areas of property, accident and life insurance. PZU also provides pension fund management, investment fund management, pension fund settlement services, national investment fund asset management, and insurance and financial brokerage services. The company is structured into two divisions: PZU and PZU Zycie. PZU in turn is divided into three segments: Corporate Insurance, Personal Insurance and Investment Activities. The segments Corporate Insurance and Private Customer Insurance are active in personal and property insurance. The Investing activities segment comprises investments with own funds. PZU Zycie deals with group insurance, individual continued insurance, individual life insurance, investment activities and investment contracts. PZU Zycie also provides other financial services such as investment and construction products through various distribution channels.[37]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: About the company. 2002-03-25.
  2. Web site: PZU: Solidne wyniki i obietnica utrzymania poziomu dywidendy . pl . isbiznes.pl . 30 March 2023 . 31 March 2023.
  3. Web site: PZU: Solidne wyniki i obietnica utrzymania poziomu dywidendy . pl . isbiznes.pl . 30 March 2023 . 31 March 2022.
  4. Web site: Grupa PZU Factsheet 1Q 2022 . 31 March 2023.
  5. Web site: Grupa PZU Factsheet 1Q 2022 . 31 March 2023.
  6. Web site: 57. Zatrudnienie . pl . 18 November 2022.
  7. News: Poland's ruling party tightens grip on big state firms. 2017-10-10. Reuters. 2019-01-18. en.
  8. Web site: Grupa PZU on the Forbes Top Regarded Companies List. Forbes. en. 2019-01-18.
  9. Web site: Polish insurer PZU's Q2 profit slumps 75% on higher provisions . nasdaq.com . Marcin Goclowski . 10 September 2020 . 31 March 2023.
  10. Web site: About the PZU Group . 2018-03-25.
  11. Web site: History . PZU . en . 2020-03-25.
  12. Book: Borish . Michael S.. On the road to EU accession: financial sector development in Central Europe . 1996 . World Bank . Ding, Wei . Noël, Michel . 0-585-22421-8 . Washington, D.C. . 44958000.
  13. Web site: Management Board's report on the activity of the PZU Group and PZU SA. 2020-03-25.
  14. Web site: PZU (insurance group) . TAdviser.ru . 2020-05-15.
  15. Web site: PZU.WA - Powszechny Zaklad Ubezpieczen SA Profile . 2020-05-15 . Reuters . en.
  16. Web site: Eureko B.V. vs. Republic of Poland-Dissenting Opinion . 2020-05-15.
  17. Book: Investment arbitration in Central and Eastern Europe: law and practice . Nagy, Csongor István . 2019 . 978-1-78811-517-9 . Cheltenham, UK . 1128970682.
  18. Web site: PZU - Clients - MakoLab. makolab.com. en. 2020-05-28.
  19. Web site: History. PZU. en. 2020-05-28.
  20. Web site: 10 najważniejszych wydarzeń w 25-letniej historii działalności GPW . pl . 16 June 2021.
  21. Web site: Wykaz kar nałożonych przez Komisję Nadzoru Finansowego za lata 2006 - 2018 . 2023-09-12 . pl.
  22. Web site: Ergo Hestia w gronie 100 najbardziej przyjaznych firm . pl . prmews.pl . 29 September 2011 . 31 March 2023.
  23. News: PZU, Vienna Insurance in the race for Lithuania's top insurer. Reuters. 27 March 2014. 28 March 2014.
  24. Web site: UPDATE 2-UK's RSA sells east European businesses to Polish insurer PZU . reuters.com . Simon Jesson and Adrian Krajewski . 17 April 2014 . 31 March 2023.
  25. News: PZU Seeks to Create Top Polish Bank After $431 Million Deal. Bloomberg. 31 May 2015 . 2020-05-15.
  26. Web site: Alior Bank acquires the Core Business of Bank BPH from GE Capital. Finance Monthly Monthly Finance News Magazine. 3 October 2016 . en-GB. 2020-05-15.
  27. Web site: Shareholders - Alior Bank - English version. www.aliorbank.pl. 2020-05-15.
  28. News: UniCredit sells Bank Pekao stake to Powszechny Zakład Ubezpieczeń and Polski Fundusz Rozwoju. 8 December 2016. 19 December 2016.
  29. Web site: PZU is first Polish insurer to use Tractable's AI To analyse auto damage . prnewswire.com . 27 November 2020 . 31 March 2023.
  30. Web site: Polish insurer to pay insurance premiums for Ukrainian citizens . thefirstnews.com . 28 February 2022 . 31 March 2023.
  31. Web site: Poland's largest insurer PZU launches digital claims with Upptec . finance.yahoo.com . 28 September 2022 . 31 March 2023.
  32. Web site: 2022-08-30 . PZU SA nowym członkiem United Nations Global Compact . 2023-09-12 . Zielona planeta . pl.
  33. Web site: PZU oficjalnym partnerem Igi Świątek. 16 June 2021. pl.
  34. Web site: "Rozwód" Świątek z państwową spółką. Koniec współpracy tenisistki z dużym sponsorem . interia.pl . Alan Bartman . 10 January 2024. pl.
  35. News: Group structure . 2018-03-24.
  36. News: 2020-03-13 . BRIEF-Beata Kozlowska-Chyla To Replace Pawel Surowka As PZU Chief Executive . en . Reuters . 2023-09-12.
  37. Web site: 2014-08-04. Grupa PZU. 2020-06-02. Companies History - The biggest companies in the world. en-US.