More than three-quarters—over 14 million—of our customers live in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). This region accounts for approximately 40% of UNIQA Group’s total premiums. With a total population of around 152 million, the CEE region continues to offer enormous growth potential—particularly UNIQA Poland, which plays a crucial role within our international community.
Following strong growth in 2022 and 2023, our premium volume in the region rose significantly again in 2024 and continued to increase in the first quarter of 2025, with premiums up by 12.4%. Poland was a key growth driver.
UNIQA Group is represented in Poland by seven companies. UNIQA TU S.A. was established in 1990 and has been part of the UNIQA Group since June 2001. After 35 years in the Polish market, UNIQA Poland now serves 7.5 million customers. In the corporate segment alone, it supports 214,000 micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, as well as large corporate clients. In 2024, UNIQA Poland achieved PLN 5.5 billion in gross written premiums.
“Even with these excellent results, the potential for further growth remains significant. People in Central and Eastern Europe spend an average of €230 per year on insurance. In Poland, that figure is around €420. In Austria, however, it exceeds €2,200. That means Austrians spend five times more on insurance than Poles. Trends clearly show that insurance penetration in Central Europe is growing at about 4% annually, compared to just 1% in Austria,” explains Wolfgang Kindl, Board Member Customer & Market International at UNIQA Insurance Group.
Poland's economic landscape is poised for continued growth, reinforcing its crucial role in UNIQA's regional strategy. The nation's GDP is projected to expand by 3.4% in 2025, driven by robust private consumption, rising real wages, and strategic public investments, including the utilization of previously withheld EU recovery funds.
The Polish government's commitment to modernization is evident through substantial investments in infrastructure and defense. Notably, Poland has secured over €25 billion in EU grants and loans, earmarked for projects spanning thermal insulation, railway infrastructure, agriculture, and healthcare . These developments not only bolster Poland's economic resilience but also enhance its attractiveness as an investment destination, aligning with UNIQA's strategy of growing impact and innovation in the CEE region.
Our belief is simple: if we start from the customer’s perspective—understanding their needs and behavior—we can meet most of their expectations and challenges.
UNIQA Poland’s market position was significantly strengthened by the acquisition of AXA in 2020.
The AXA acquisition was not only a major transaction—it marked a true transformation. UNIQA acquired a business generating €800 million in premiums and €70–80 million in profit, along with the expertise of a global player. Last year, UNIQA was among the fastest-growing insurers in the CEE region and, for the second consecutive year, a leader in profitability.
“Successfully integrating AXA was a game changer for UNIQA International. The speed of the integration and the focus on true organizational and cultural transformation were critical. We have not only retained talent and competencies, we have also attracted new ones, which is another strong sign of the great achievements accomplished during the Post Merger Integration” says Zoran Višnjić, President of the Supervisory Board of UNIQA Poland.
But the success of UNIQA Poland is not due solely to the AXA merger. “We moved away from a traditional, product-focused model and centered our approach around the customer. Each country’s management board now includes one member responsible for retail customers, one for corporate clients, and one for bancassurance. Traditionally, product development and sales are handled separately, which can lead to conflict. We’ve changed that. While both areas remain important, they are now integrated under a single board member who focuses on a specific customer segment. Our belief is simple: if we start from the customer’s perspective—understanding their needs and behavior—we can meet most of their expectations and challenges,” emphasizes Wolfgang Kindl.
Marcin Nedwidek, CEO of UNIQA Poland, adds: “During the first two, three years after the merger, we focused on internal processes and operations. Our goal was to carry out this major integration as quickly as possible while building high business profitability. Today, that phase is behind us. For over a year, we have been focused externally on the market and investing in growth. We closed 2024 with faster growth than our competitors and the best profitability in the market. At the center of our activities is the customer, who is the foundation of all pillars of our business strategy.”
Successfully integrating AXA was a game changer for UNIQA International. The speed of the integration and the focus on true organizational and cultural transformation were critical. We have not only retained talent and competencies, we have also attracted new ones.
“Our strength is a diversified business model that supports us during difficult and unpredictable times, marked by the COVID pandemic, floods, or the war in Ukraine. We rely on three core pillars. The first is retail, which is our growth engine and gives us room to expand toward the mass affluent customer, for whom products like CASCO insurance and individual life insurance are also important. The second pillar is housing and corporate, which grows alongside economic growth. This year, we have also clearly focused on developing business related to ESG issues and supporting companies in sustainable development through UNIQA Sustainable Business Solutions. And the third, equally important, is the bancassurance channel, where we have a strong partnership with one of the leading banks in Poland, the mBank Group, with whom we recently extended our strategic partnership for another 12 years.” adds Nedwidek.
At the beginning of 2024, the HUB for International Programmes was established in Poland. This competence center serves all UNIQA countries, aiming to standardize offerings for multinational companies. It supports the insurance of operations and cross-border risks through international programs—leveraging UNIQA Poland’s longstanding expertise in this field. Each program is individually tailored, considering the client’s business specifics, asset values, territorial spread, organizational structure, and local legal regulations.
Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing insurers today, and its effects are already being felt in the CEE region. Natural disasters and extreme weather events—such as the floods in Austria, Poland, Czechia, and Slovakia in autumn 2024—cost UNIQA nearly €400 million. While reinsurers have absorbed much of the impact, rising damages may render some climate-related risks uninsurable—or lead to significantly higher policy costs.
The climate change is already affecting other businesses in the region as well. According to the latest Risk Map of Polish Entrepreneurs report by the Polish Chamber of Insurance, 50% of companies now recognize that climate change and its consequences pose a threat to their business operations.
In response, UNIQA has gone beyond traditional insurance. In 2024, UNIQA Sustainable Business Solutions was launched, a new subsidiary that also operates in Poland. With UNIQA Sustainable companies can count on comprehensive support in increasing their resilience to climate change and in striving for sustainable development. Risk engineers will help identify, analyze and minimize operational risks resulting from a changing climate. They will propose solutions tailored to the needs of specific clients, the characteristics of their business and their size.
