Short History of Banking and Prospects for Its Development in Poland at the Beginning of the 21st Century

The paper presents the genesis and development of the Polish banking system. Part one is devoted to the history of banking in the world. It describes many achievements in the field of money and banking beginning from ancient times up to the 20th century. In part two, the author describes the events that have been taking place over the last 600 years - from the time of Casimir III the Great to the modern times, and which shaped the present state of banking in Poland. Special attention is paid to the prospects of the development of the banking sector in the early 21st century, when Poland is one step from joining the European Union. That is what the third part of the paper is dedicated to