BLIK as a growth driver for the economy – payments made with BLIK supported the generation of around 1.2% of Poland’s GDP in 2024
Over the past decade, BLIK has not only revolutionized the way people pay in Poland but has also significantly contributed to the country’s economic development. According to the report "10 Years of BLIK", prepared by advisory firm EY, by the end of 2024, 11% of household consumption in Poland was carried out using BLIK, and the system’s operations supported the generation of PLN 42 bn (EUR 10 bn) in added value to the economy. The authors of the report emphasize that thanks to its versatility, convenience, and security, BLIK has developed at an impressive pace, supporting a broad range of transactions and related economic activity – particularly in e-commerce.
The report "10 Years of BLIK. Changes in Payments and the Economy of Poland" was prepared by EY’s Economic Analysis Team at the request of Polski Standard Płatności, the operator of the BLIK system. The report is based on an analysis of available data, econometric studies, and economic modelling, which enabled estimation of the different dimensions of BLIK’s impact on Poland’s payment market and the broader economy.
Broad economic impact
Over the past ten years, BLIK has become an integral part of the Polish payments landscape and a key contributor to the country’s economic growth. Its influence is visible across many areas – from fostering innovation and reducing barriers to business operations and payment processing, to enhancing market access and improving transaction security, stability, and transparency. According to EY estimates, in 2024, BLIK supported the generation of PLN 42 bn (EUR 10 bn) in value added, equivalent to 1.2% of GDP. This amount is comparable to the annual spending of Polish consumers on accommodation and holidays or the state budget’s expenditure on higher education. In economic terms, this translates into approximately PLN 700 (EUR 167) in annual income per person, PLN 15 bn (EUR 3.5 bn) in public finance revenues (taxes and contributions), and jobs for around 200,000 people.
Notably, the EY study also estimated the value of electronic transactions that would not have occurred in Poland’s economy without BLIK, i.e., transactions not replaced by other cashless payment methods. In this view, corresponding to the so-called net effect of BLIK’s activity, BLIK generated additional electronic payments worth around PLN 65 bn (EUR 15.5 bn) in 2023 – equivalent to 3.3% of household consumption, comparable to annual spending on clothing. This “net effect” constituted 45% of BLIK payments related to consumer spending – effects that would not have occurred without the system.
BLIK has changed the way people in Poland pay, but it also serves as a great example of how modern technologies can influence the entire market environment. Today, six in ten adults in the country actively use our system, and the number of users continues to grow at a double-digit pace year on year. This high level of adoption translates into substantial economic impact. The widespread use of BLIK payments significantly increases business efficiency – in the retail sector alone, BLIK could account for up to PLN 1.3 bn (EUR 310 m) in annual operational cost savings. It is also estimated that without BLIK, the value of electronic payments in Poland in 2023 would have been 8.8% lower. This proves that innovations like ours, continuously refined over the past ten years, are not just about consumer convenience, but also, they are a concrete tool that supports economic development
- says Dariusz Mazurkiewicz, CEO of Polski Standard Płatności, operator of BLIK
Since its launch in 2015, BLIK has evolved from a simple ATM cash withdrawal tool into the dominant payment method in Polish e-commerce. Currently, 18.5 m Poles use BLIK for transactions, meaning that 58 out of every 100 people aged 15 and over use the system at least once a month. In the past year, the number of active users has increased by 17%.
BLIK has not only established a strong position in the domestic market, but it has also systematically strengthened its advantage over international mobile payment systems. In 2023, it became the European leader in terms of transaction volume, reaching over 1.7 bn operations, an average of 47 per capita in Poland. A year later, this figure increased by 40%, exceeding 2.4 bn transactions, equivalent to 64 payments per capita.
Half of e-commerce transactions made with BLIK – and the related economic effects
BLIK’s impact is particularly evident in e-commerce, where it has become the primary payment method for millions of Polish consumers. In 2024, the value of online transactions carried out with BLIK reached PLN 173 bn (EUR 41.4 bn), with its market share in online trade exceeding 50% as early as the previous year. E-commerce contributes to economic transformation in various ways, such as reducing operational costs, expanding market reach, and stimulating innovation. The report also estimated the broader economic impact of e-commerce and the portion supported by BLIK.
Available data suggest that the development of online trade plays a significant role in lowering operational costs. According to EY estimates, by 2023, e-commerce reduced retail sector costs by 1.5%, generating savings of around PLN 2.8 bn (EUR 670 m). As the dominant online payment method, BLIK supported this reduction by approximately 0.74 percentage points – PLN 1.3 bn (EUR 310 m). Along with the associated rise in productivity, these changes drive broader economic transformations. For the entire e-commerce sector, the combined effect translates into a GDP increase of approximately 0.36%, of which BLIK transactions may account for 0.18%. Improved returns on capital in retail also stimulate additional investments, growing by 0.56%, with BLIK potentially responsible for nearly half of that increase. The analysis also indicates macroeconomic effects related to inflation – BLIK contributes to lowering the Consumer Price Index (CPI) by 0.05 percentage points, mainly due to cost reductions in the retail sector. In practice, this means that if all these changes materialized within a single year, inflation in Poland would be 0.05 percentage points lower. Approximately 45% of the above economic effects linked to BLIK represent net effects – outcomes that would not have occurred without the system.
In the field of electronic payments, Poland is no longer lagging behind developed economies – in some areas, it has even surpassed them. In this context, BLIK plays a key role. Our study covers four key aspects of this payment system. First, we present its substantial and growing significance in the Polish payments market and its comparison to other mobile solutions in Europe. Second, we examine the extent to which BLIK creates new electronic payment markets instead of merely replacing existing methods – generating additional economic value. Third, we describe the socio-economic channels of impact of cashless transactions and estimate the total economic effects supported by BLIK. Finally, we focus on e-commerce, a crucial sector for BLIK, analysing its impact on the economy and BLIK’s role in this transformation. All these analyses confirm that BLIK is not just a popular transaction method, it is a service reshaping Poland’s payment market and its economy
- says Marek Rozkrut, Partner and EY EU & CESA Chief Economist; EMEIA Economists Unit Head
Growth and further development of innovation
BLIK continues to expand its portfolio, adapting to the changing needs of both consumers and businesses. New services such as BLIK Pay Later and recurring payments are examples of solutions that not only enhance user convenience but also support businesses – helping them manage liquidity and tailor their offerings to customer preferences. The introduction of new features makes BLIK an increasingly versatile tool, facilitating everyday transactions and driving the share of digital payments in the economy. This development strategy is translating into BLIK’s growing impact on the Polish financial market. According to EY economists, if the system operator achieves its goal of doubling transaction value by 2027, BLIK’s contribution to Poland’s GDP could grow from 1.2% in 2024 to 2.1% in 2027.
BLIK is a common standard for mobile payments. The option to use BLIK in mobile banking applications is now available to virtually every customer of domestic payment institutions offering a mobile app. The company Polski Standard Płatności (PSP) is responsible for developing the system. PSP continuously enhances BLIK’s functionality to make the system as user-friendly and versatile as possible. The shareholders of PSP are Alior Bank, Millennium Bank, Santander Bank Polska, ING Bank Śląski, mBank, PKO Bank Polski, and Mastercard.
Media contact:
Klaudia Rombalska
BLIK Press Office
