Checking a listing is free and public — at rejestrfp.knf.gov.pl. Enter the firm name, look for it in the „active" list. If it is there, the firm meets KNF conditions and is subject to the anti-usury act, the mandatory information form and cost caps. If it is not there, the firm is operating unlawfully — do not sign, do not pay.
The minimum capital and organisational bar introduced in 2017 wiped hundreds of payday firms off the market. Today the register holds around 200 active non-bank lenders — from big names like Vivus, Wonga, Provident through instalment lenders (Smartney, SuperGrosz, Aasa, Hapi) to local micro-firms. All report to KNF and can be de-listed for legal breaches.
De-listing is rare but painful for clients. A de-listed firm cannot issue new loans. Existing contracts remain in force, but the client now services them via a receiver or a portfolio buyer. That is one reason to check the register even for recognisable names: no entry = risk.
Frequently asked questions
Go to rejestrfp.knf.gov.pl, enter the name or NIP. The result shows whether the entry is active and the registration date.
Not in the Polish RIP — those firms sit in their home-country registers (Lithuania, Estonia, Czechia). But they must notify KNF of cross-border activity, and that notification is visible in KNF public registers.
Your contract stays in force, but you will likely be paying a receiver or a portfolio buyer. Important: do not send money „by transfer to another account" without written confirmation from the receiver — a common scam.