One of the biggest differences I’ve noticed since moving to Poland is in the country’s banks, which seem significantly more jittery than where I’m from.
It seems that any transaction or transfer larger than an average shopping purchase can be enough to trigger alarm bells.
Of course I understand that banking has become more like this everywhere, as banks endeavour to crack down on money-laundering, and I fully understand (and support) this, as well as a bank’s rights to KYC (know your client/customer).
But Poland is next-level. Two-factor authentication isn’t enough to just access your account – it’s needed for every little thing involving an app.
And if you’re trying to set up a business that involves capital investment (even of a modest kind), then you can expect every move you make to be shrouded in suspicion, with three- or sometimes even four-factor authentication needed, and with more time spent on banking than you’ll have space for.
I’ve since switched to a Dutch bank with Polish operations and the experience is better – the right amount of security; not too much, not too little.
Which made me wonder about everywhere else – how are the banks in your country? Smooth, efficient and sensible, or the bane of people’s lives? Is there a big difference in this between European countries?