Pensions Rise, ECJ Ruling on WIBOR, and Warning on DallBogg: Key Changes for Personal Finance

The Central Statistical Office and the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy confirmed the pension and disability benefit indexation rate for 2026 at 5.3%^[1]. This exceeds the 4.88% rate set in the budget law and means an additional cost for public finances of approximately PLN 24.8 billion, about PLN 2 billion higher than previous estimates. The Social Insurance Institution will automatically recalculate all benefits from March 1, 2026, and some pensioners with payments scheduled for the first day of the month will receive increased benefits earlier – the transfer is planned for February 27, 2026. The minimum pension will rise from PLN 1,878.91 to around PLN 1,978.49 gross, and for example, a benefit of PLN 3,000 will increase to about PLN 3,159, while PLN 4,000 will grow to PLN 4,212 gross. The higher pension will also increase the base for calculating the 13th and 14th benefits and may lead to exceeding income thresholds for additional supplements.

Pension Indexation Higher Than in Budget

For millions of borrowers, a key development is the ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union on February 12, 2026, regarding the mortgage loan at PKO BP indexed to WIBOR 6M plus a margin in case C‑471/24. Directive 93/13 on unfair terms in consumer contracts also applies^[17] to clauses based on indexes such as WIBOR if national law gives the bank discretion in choosing the index or margin. At the same time, the court stated that the mere use of a regulated indicator supervised by the Financial Supervision Commission does not automatically mean the contract is unfair. The bank is not required to explain the detailed methodology of calculating WIBOR to the customer but must present the variable interest rate mechanism and possible payment increases in a way that allows the consumer to realistically assess economic risk. This means no mass invalidation of WIBOR-based loans – each contract will be individually examined for transparency and the reliability of information given at the point of sale.

WIBOR Before ECJ – Contracts Subject to Individual Assessment

From February 13, 2026, new provisions of the law on handling complaints by financial market entities, the Financial Ombudsman, and the Financial Education Fund apply. Banks, loan companies, and insurers must enable submitting complaints electronically^[24] – via email, website forms, online banking, or mobile apps. The electronic channel becomes a standard alongside traditional methods: letters, phone calls, or branch visits. Institutions generally have 30 days to respond, up to 60 days for particularly complex cases, and 15 working days (extendable to 35 days) for payment services. Failure to respond on time favors the client and can strengthen their position in disputes. The Financial Ombudsman is running an informational campaign, and institutions are updating their regulations and IT systems, which in practice should make pursuing claims easier even in minor cases.

Financial Complaints Also Online

The Financial Ombudsman highlighted the persistently high level of complaints^[29] against the Bulgarian insurer Insurance Joint Stock Company DallBogg: Life and Health AD, which offers mandatory motor third-party liability insurance in Poland. In 2024, the Ombudsman received 163 intervention requests regarding DallBogg, and in 2025 already 410, a rise of over 150%. In 41% of cases, complaints concerned delays in claims handling, in 37% underpaid compensation amounts, and in 16% claim denials. DallBogg and its claims-handling company Diodea Poland have so far been fined a total of PLN 1.1 million, including a single PLN 600,000 penalty for violating complaint procedures. The Ombudsman encourages affected clients to submit reports in writing or by email with proof of sending and to seek the office’s assistance after exhausting ongoing scale of complaints may prompt the Financial Supervision Commission to take further action against the insurer, although no new supervisory decisions have been issued recently.

Complaints Against DallBogg and Risks for Drivers

Global inflation data also impact savers’ decisions. J. P. Morgan Global Research forecasts base global inflation^[12] in 2026 at around 2.8%, with inflation about 3.2% in the USA, 2.4% in the UK, and 1.9% in the eurozone. The latest Bureau of Labor Statistics report shows US CPI inflation fell to 2.4% year-on-year in January 2026 from 2.7% in December, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland’s newcast estimates February monthly CPI and PCE dynamics at 0.22–0.23%, implying annual inflation around 2.4–2.6%. Against this international backdrop, central banks face less pressure for sharp rate hikes but also have limited scope for deep cuts. For Polish households this means rather moderate deposit and loan interest rates and the need to seek products offering returns slightly above inflation to achieve real savings growth.

Global Inflation and Real Savings Returns

Meanwhile, changes are underway in the UK and the USA that indirectly set consumer protection standards. The Financial Conduct Authority in London emphasizes enforcing Consumer Duty rules^[35], transparency in insurance premium financing, and quality of claims handling, while the UK government adopted The Financial Services (Designated Consumer Body and Designated Representative Body) Order 2026 No. 124, which grants selected consumer organizations the right to file systemic complaints against the financial market. In the US, state insurance departments, including California and Florida, are working on regulations concerning property insurance rates amid rising natural disaster costs. For Polish consumers, these trends, combined with domestic changes in pensions, loans, and complaints procedures, mean a need for active monitoring of benefits and contracts and more frequent use of rights protection tools like electronic complaints and support from the Financial Ombudsman.

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