A counterparty report on a Polish entity establishes what official registers record about that entity's legal standing, ownership structure, and existing encumbrances — before a transaction closes or collateral is accepted. The collateral angle determines what is examined: not just who the counterparty is, but what already attaches to the assets it offers as security.
- What the registers show
- Legal existence, registered share capital, management board composition, and filed financial statements. Source: Krajowy Rejestr Sądowy (KRS) · verified 26.07.2026
- Encumbrances on movables
- Registered pledges over movable assets and receivables. Source: Rejestr Zastawów · verified 26.07.2026
- Insolvency and restructuring
- Pending and concluded insolvency or restructuring proceedings. Source: Krajowy Rejestr Zadłużonych (KRZ) · verified 26.07.2026
- Beneficial ownership
- Declared ultimate beneficial owners with ownership thresholds. Source: Centralny Rejestr Beneficjentów Rzeczywistych (CRBR) · verified 26.07.2026
- Sanctions exposure
- Presence on EU, US OFAC, UK OFSI, and UN consolidated lists. Source: respective consolidated sanctions lists · verified 26.07.2026
What a collateral-focused counterparty report covers
When a lender or buyer accepts a Polish asset as security, the central question is not only whether the counterparty exists in law. The question is what already encumbers that counterparty's assets and whether the ownership chain behind the security is clear. A counterparty report structured around the collateral angle addresses both questions in sequence.
The report begins with the KRS entry: registered name, NIP and REGON identifiers, registered seat, share capital, current management board, and any supervisory board. Filed financial statements are retrieved where available. The date of last filing is noted; a gap in filings is itself a finding.
The Rejestr Zastawów is then searched by the entity's name and NIP. A registered pledge attaches to a specific movable asset or pool of receivables. The register records the pledgee, the secured amount, and a description of the encumbered asset. Each entry found is reproduced in full in the report.
The KRZ search covers insolvency proceedings, restructuring proceedings under the Prawo restrukturyzacyjne, and consumer insolvency. A negative result is recorded as such; the report does not certify absence of a filing that has not yet been processed by the court.
Beneficial ownership: what CRBR discloses and where it stops
The CRBR records declared beneficial owners — natural persons holding more than 25% of shares or voting rights, directly or through a chain. The register is maintained by the Ministry of Finance. Entries are self-reported by the entity's management board.
The register shows the declared owner's name, nationality, country of residence, and the nature and size of the interest held. It does not show intermediate holding vehicles. It does not verify the declaration against share registers or notarial deeds. A discrepancy between the CRBR entry and the KRS shareholder list, or between CRBR and a filed shareholders' agreement, is a finding — not a resolution.
At the Extended tier, the report maps the intermediate chain using KRS filings for each Polish holding entity identified. Where the chain leads outside Poland, the report states at which link it exits Polish jurisdiction and names the foreign jurisdiction. It does not continue the chain into that jurisdiction.
Sanctions and watchlist screening
The report screens the entity name, registered variants, and all natural persons identified in the KRS and CRBR against the EU Consolidated Sanctions List, the US OFAC Specially Designated Nationals list, the UK OFSI Consolidated List, and the UN Security Council Consolidated List.
Screening is name-based. It does not substitute for a full sanctions compliance programme. Where a name match is found, the entry is reproduced verbatim. Determining whether a match constitutes a prohibited transaction requires legal advice; that determination is outside the scope of this report.
Court litigation: what the registers record
Polish civil and commercial court proceedings are not consolidated in a single public database accessible by party name to foreign requestors. The KRS records certain enforcement-related entries — for example, appointment of a receiver — but does not list pending litigation.
The KRZ records insolvency and restructuring proceedings and, from 2021 onward, enforcement proceedings where a court enforcement officer has filed a notice. Coverage of older enforcement proceedings in KRZ is incomplete. The report states what each searched register returns and notes the structural gaps in coverage.
The limit of what the sources allow
The ceiling of what the sources allow is stated before payment. Polish registers are official and legally maintained, but each has a defined scope. The KRS shows the registered position; it does not show undisclosed side agreements, nominee arrangements, or assets held outside the registered structure. The Rejestr Zastawów covers registered pledges over movables; it does not cover mortgages on real property, which are recorded in land registers (Księgi Wieczyste) and are the subject of a separate property report. Unregistered encumbrances — retention of title clauses, financial collateral arrangements under the ustawa o zabezpieczeniach finansowych — do not appear in any public register.
The CRBR entry reflects the most recent declaration filed by the entity's management. It is not independently verified by the register authority against underlying corporate documents. A declaration may be outdated or incomplete. The report flags any discrepancy between the CRBR entry and the KRS shareholder data, but it cannot determine which record is correct.
A negative result in the KRZ does not certify that no insolvency petition has been filed. It certifies that no proceeding appears in the register at the time of the search. Processing lag between petition filing and register entry exists. The report states the date of the search; it does not provide a prospective guarantee.
Where the sources disagree
Discrepancies between registers are findings in their own right. A CRBR entry naming one natural person as ultimate beneficial owner, while the KRS shareholder list names a foreign holding company with no disclosed natural-person owner, is a structural gap. The report records both entries side by side and identifies the point at which the chain becomes opaque. Resolving the discrepancy requires document-level review; that is addressed at the Extended tier.
Where a filed financial statement shows negative equity or a going-concern qualification, and the KRS shows no insolvency or restructuring proceeding, the report notes both facts without drawing a legal conclusion from their combination.
What is included at each tier
| Tier | Price (EUR, excl. VAT) | Included | Not included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signal | €590 |
KRS extract: legal existence, share capital, management board, registered seat. KRZ search: insolvency and restructuring proceedings. Sanctions screening: EU, OFAC, OFSI, UN lists — entity name and management persons. Summary of findings with source badges and retrieval dates. |
Rejestr Zastawów search. CRBR beneficial ownership mapping. Financial statement retrieval and review. Ownership chain tracing. Document-level discrepancy analysis. |
| Standard | €990 |
Everything in Signal. Rejestr Zastawów: full search by entity name and NIP; each pledge entry reproduced in full. CRBR: declared beneficial owners with stated ownership thresholds. Most recent two financial statements retrieved from KRS where filed. Discrepancy flag: CRBR vs. KRS shareholder list. |
Intermediate holding-vehicle mapping beyond Polish KRS. Foreign jurisdiction chain continuation. Notarial deed or shareholder agreement review. Real property encumbrance search (Księgi Wieczyste — separate report). Legal qualification of findings. |
| Extended | €2,200 |
Everything in Standard. Ownership chain mapping through all Polish holding entities identified in KRS. Identification of the foreign jurisdiction at which the chain exits Poland. KRZ enforcement proceeding entries reviewed and listed. Financial statement trend analysis: last three available years. Consolidated findings table: each encumbrance, each discrepancy, each gap in coverage, with source and date. |
Continuation of ownership chain into foreign jurisdictions. Unregistered encumbrances (retention of title, financial collateral arrangements). Real property encumbrance search. Legal advice or qualification of findings. Court file access or litigation history beyond KRZ entries. |
Frequently asked questions
How long does delivery take?
Signal and Standard reports are delivered within three business days of confirmed instruction. Extended reports require five business days. Where a KRS filing is pending court processing, delivery may be extended; the client is notified immediately.
What identifier is needed to initiate the search?
The entity's full registered name or KRS number is sufficient. NIP or REGON, if available, accelerates the search and reduces the risk of name-match ambiguity. Providing the registered seat address is helpful where the name is common.
Is the Rejestr Zastawów a public register?
The Rejestr Zastawów is a public register maintained by the Minister of Justice. Access requires submission of a query with the entity's identifying data. This register is public and free of charge. What you are paying for is the removed path: registration, national identifier, language, electronic signature, declaration of legitimate interest.
Does a clean KRZ result mean the counterparty is solvent?
A clean KRZ result means no insolvency or restructuring proceeding appears in the register at the date of search. It does not address solvency, liquidity, or the absence of a petition not yet processed. Financial statement analysis at the Standard and Extended tiers provides a separate data point on financial condition.
Can the report confirm that no mortgage encumbers the counterparty's real property?
No. Mortgages on real property are recorded in the Księgi Wieczyste land register, not in the Rejestr Zastawów. A real property encumbrance search is a separate product. The counterparty report notes whether the KRS filing references real property assets, but it does not search the land register.
What happens if the CRBR entry appears inconsistent with the KRS shareholder list?
The discrepancy is recorded as a finding in the report. Both entries are reproduced side by side. The report identifies which register shows which data and at which point the records diverge. Determining the cause and consequence of the discrepancy requires document-level review and legal advice, both outside the scope of the factual report.
Disclaimer: This report is a factual compilation from official registers and public sources. It is provided for informational purposes only, does not constitute legal advice, and contains no legal qualification of the facts established. KORDECKI & Partners assumes no liability for actions taken or not taken based on this material. For advice regarding your particular situation, please contact info@kordeckipartners.com.