Banks play a key role in the corporate governance system. This role varies from one model to another. This is due to the banks' function as credit issuers, as banks still remain primary providers of credit to the economy, to their borrower monitoring function, as well as to their ownership functions performed within companies. Banks are also business entities, and as such they rank among some of the largest corporations on a global, regional and local scale. The interest in corporate governance in banking has been growing in recent years, primarily because of the sustained high share of debt financing of the economy, systemic transformations taking place in many countries, and the role of banks in ensuring financial stability. In Poland, we have been witnessing significant changes in the banking sector over the last dozen or so years, following the liberalization of the finance system and the consolidation and privatisation of banks. As a result, the ownership structure of some banks and the entire banking system has changed.

The purpose of the study is to determine the concentration of ownership and the structure of corporate governance in banks both in Poland and in selected OECD countries, as well as in emerging markets. Among others, we are looking for the answer to the question whether the ownership concentration observed in banks in Poland is also reflected in other banking systems.

The study was based on the data from the largest banks (those with total assets in excess of U$ 1 billion) from 23 countries. A total of 736 banks were analysed. The analysis covered the structure of ownership supervision. Listed banks were not treated separately. The study's findings were compared against the ownership structure of the companies operating in selected countries and in Poland.