The City Handlowy bank has introduced their offer for the Polish community int the US, so called Polonia. The Poles from the largest communities can take advantage of cheap and immediate money transfers as well as the service in Polish. They may also apply for bank accounts on behalf of their relatives in Poland via the Internet or a helpline in their mother tongue.
The Poles in US pay USD 8, which according to experts, is quite cheap for the US prices. Moreover, money can be deposited in a cash mashine. The recipients don't have to pay any fees, provided that they withdraw the money either from the Citi or Euronet cash mashine. In NY alone, where a million Poles are said to live, five subsidiaries started to serve customers both in English and Polish.
Citi know what they are fighting for. The US has been the main destination for Polish immigrants, and about 9m of them live there. The next place in ratings is Germany with 2m Poles. What's more, in last year the Polish people living abroad sent their kins in Poland more than USD 6b. Just to compare, in 2006 the EU subsidies for Poland were USD 3.6b.
Introducing offers for immigrants has become a new strategy for City
Handlowy. They promised to open similar services in eight countries, including
Great Britain. However, the word 'immediat' seems so far to be restricted to the
US only.