Leaders - PKO BP
PKO Prosto – A Plain Language Ecosystem
PKO Bank Polski created a system that connects people, processes, and technology so that communication is simple, clear, and friendly. For everyone – because understandability is the foundation of accessibility.
In 2023, Poland's largest bank launched the PKO Prosto project. Today, more than 12 million bank clients can handle their affairs quickly and intuitively. The Polish Language Foundation appreciated the systematic approach to language simplification – in May 2025, the bank received the prestigious Language Quality Mark for institutions.
People, Tools, and Awareness
Plain language at PKO Bank Polski consists of:
- PKO Prosto app – helps employees simplify texts. Its core is powered by artificial intelligence.
- ambassador program – 80 people from different teams whose competencies were confirmed and certified by the Polish Language Foundation.
- Jira system – allows measuring the scale and effects of simplification.
- internal rules – clearly state that plain language in communication with clients is an obligation, not an option.
- workshops – including legal design for 100 experts who work on legal documents and for all plain language trainers.
- communication and education – articles, guides, competitions, and meetings with experts on the intranet, as well as educational campaigns for clients.
Behind all this stands a communication and plain language support team that coordinates activities, aggregates texts, and makes decisions – in the channel and beyond.
Ready for the Polish Accessibility Act
In 2025, the plain language ecosystem at PKO Bank Polski passed an extremely difficult exam – the Polish Accessibility Act. Thanks to the systematic approach to simplification, the bank could meet the requirements of the law, which imposes the obligation to communicate in an understandable way.
Simplification under the law took place on an enormous scale:
- 8 million characters went to the plain language workshop. That's approximately 7 thousand pages, or 6 "Lalka" books by Bolesław Prus or 3 Trilogy by Henryk Sienkiewicz.
- 32 units submitted materials for simplification, and hundreds of employees were involved in work on contracts and regulations.
Conclusion: Revolution from Best Practice
Since October 2025, new rules for creating internal regulations have been in effect at the bank. According to them, every internal regulation must be shorter, more specific, and understandable for every employee.
This is a real revolution that started as a voluntary initiative and today is part of the bank's strategy that supports accessibility throughout the entire organization.