Connecting a PKO BP account to a budgeting app is a regulated process in which the bank — with your explicit consent — shares transaction history and balances with a third-party app in read-only mode. At PKO Bank Polski it follows the iPKO → IKO Push path: you sign in on the official iPKO page, then approve a push notification in the IKO mobile app. The whole thing takes around 90 seconds.
If you live in Poland as an expat, there is a good chance PKO BP is your main account — it is Poland's largest retail bank. You probably also have a Revolut card for travel, a Wise account for moving money across currencies, and maybe a bank back home. Each app shows one slice, and none of them show the full picture. This guide walks you through how to connect PKO BP to a budgeting app that brings every account into a single view — without handing your password to anyone but the bank.
Key takeaways
- PKO BP supports open banking — the bank exposes a PSD2-compliant PolishAPI interface, publicly documented at developers.pkobp.pl
- The iPKO → IKO Push path — sign in on the official iPKO page, approve the consent via a push notification in IKO. Average time: ~90 seconds
- Around 6.4 million customers log into IKO each quarter (PKO BP, Q4 2025) — the second-factor infrastructure is already on your phone
- Read-only access — budgeting apps run as AISPs and cannot make payments, change limits or see your password
- Single consent, multiple accounts — current, savings and linked credit cards can all be authorised in one flow
- Revoke in one tap — in iPKO, IKO or the budgeting app itself, under Consents and access
What actually happens when you connect PKO BP to a budget app?
Connecting a PKO Bank Polski account to a third-party budgeting app runs in three steps, each built around the bank's existing iPKO and IKO infrastructure. We call this the iPKO → IKO Push path — because that is exactly what you see between tapping Connect and the moment transactions start showing up.
The iPKO → IKO Push path — what is it?
The iPKO → IKO Push path is a simplified description of how PKO BP connects to a budgeting app via Open Banking (PSD2). Three stages: (1) select PKO BP in the app, (2) sign in on the official iPKO web page, (3) approve the consent via a push notification in the IKO mobile app. The flow averages 90 seconds, and your banking password never leaves the bank's own login page.
Step 1: Select PKO Bank Polski from the list
In the budgeting app you tap Connect bank account. You see a list of Polish banks — PKO BP, mBank, ING, Santander, Pekao, Millennium. You tap the PKO logo. That is all for step one. No forms to fill in, no account numbers to copy and paste.
Step 2: Sign in on the official iPKO page
The app hands you off to the official iPKO login page — the very same one you use for online banking. Switch to English in the top corner if you prefer. You enter your customer number and password into the bank's form, not the app's. This is the core rule of the PolishAPI standard: your credentials never reach a third party. The app only sees whether the login succeeded or not.
Step 3: Approve the consent in IKO
Once logged in, iPKO asks: “Do you consent to sharing transaction history and balances with [app name]?” Because PSD2 requires strong customer authentication, PKO BP uses a second factor — the IKO mobile app. A push notification lands on your phone. You open IKO, tap Approve. Done. Transactions start downloading in the background. If push notifications are disabled, the same consent is waiting in IKO under Authorisations.
Three steps, an average of 90 seconds, no files to export. If you want to understand the synchronisation itself — what happens after you grant consent — read the guide to how bank account sync with an app actually works.
PKO BP and digital banking in numbers
Sources: PKO BP — investor relations (Q4 2025 results), PKO BP — PolishAPI developer portal
Does PKO BP actually support open banking?
Yes — PKO Bank Polski runs an official access interface in the PolishAPI standard, compliant with the PSD2 directive. Documentation is public at developers.pkobp.pl. The bank also publishes a dedicated customer-facing page explaining PSD2 and how to manage consents granted to third-party providers.
Open Banking — a short definition
Open Banking is a European model in which banks — at the customer's request — let regulated third-party providers (TPPs) read account transactions and balances. It was introduced by the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2, 2015/2366). In Poland it is delivered through PolishAPI, a common technical standard developed by the Polish Bank Association and the country's largest commercial banks.
PolishAPI — the standard every Polish bank speaks
PolishAPI is the technical standard adopted by Polish commercial banks for PSD2 access. Instead of learning a separate interface for each bank, a budgeting app speaks one language that works across PKO BP, mBank, ING, Santander, Pekao, BNP Paribas, Millennium and others. The full list of commercial banks covered by PolishAPI is maintained on the standard's website.
Who is actually allowed to request your PKO BP data?
Only licensed entities. Under PSD2, these fall into three categories:
- AISP —Account Information Service Provider. Can read transactions and balances. Budgeting apps like Martia operate in this category.
- PISP —Payment Initiation Service Provider. Can initiate payments. A separate licence that budgeting apps do not hold — or need.
- CBPII —Card Based Payment Instrument Issuer. Card issuers checking balance availability. Not relevant to budgeting tools.
Supervision runs on two layers. In Poland, the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF) regulates licensed providers; across the EU, the European Banking Authority (EBA) sets the technical standards. Martia uses GoCardless — a licensed open banking infrastructure provider authorised by the UK's FCA and passported into the EU via Latvia's FKTK. PKO BP recognises GoCardless as a legitimate third party in its consent register.
PKO BP supports open banking. See how it works in practice.
Martia uses the licensed GoCardless infrastructure and the PolishAPI standard — the same one PKO BP documents at developers.pkobp.pl. Read-only access. Revoke consent in a single tap, at any time.
What a budget app sees on your PKO BP account — and what it never sees
A budgeting app connected to PKO BP via open banking sees exactly what you see in the iPKO transaction history tab: booked transactions, balances, counterparty names and transfer descriptions. The scope is fixed by the EU regulatory technical standards for SCA and CSC — the bank cannot share less, but it also cannot share more.
| Data | Does the app have access? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction history | Yes — read-only | Booked transactions only |
| Account balance | Yes — read-only | Current and available balance |
| Counterparty names | Yes | Same as in iPKO — feeds categorisation |
| iPKO password | No, never | Entered only on the bank's own page |
| PINs / BLIK codes | No, never | Not exposed over the API |
| Initiating transfers | No (AISP only) | Requires a separate PISP licence |
| Changing password or limits | No, never | Done only inside iPKO / IKO |
| Data from other banks | No — PKO BP only | Each bank requires its own consent |
Myth vs. reality
Myth: “If an app connects to my PKO BP account, someone could steal my money.”
Reality: Budgeting apps operate as AISPs — read-only by law. They cannot initiate payments, change limits, or log into iPKO. Even if an access token were somehow stolen, the most an attacker could do is read transaction history. AISPs are supervised by KNF in Poland, the EBA across the EU and, for Martia specifically, the FCA in the UK and FKTK in Latvia.
iPKO and IKO already show my spending — why a separate budget app?
iPKO and IKO are competent banking tools — they show transaction history, date filtering, a handful of built-in categories and a basic spending chart. They are free and available to every PKO BP customer. They are also limited to one thing: they only see accounts held at PKO Bank Polski. If you hold even a single account somewhere else, iPKO shows a slice, not the full picture.
Being honest about this matters. Most expats in Poland hold at least three financial products: a local PKO BP or mBank account for rent and groceries, a Revolut or Wise account for FX and travel, and often a legacy account in their country of origin. Each of those lives inside its own app. To see the full picture there are really only two options:
- 1.Open each banking app separately and add the numbers up in your head (or in a spreadsheet).
- 2.Connect every account to one external budgeting app via open banking.
Option 1 works, in the same way keeping a budget on paper works — until the discipline runs out, usually after four to six weeks. Option 2 removes the friction: the data flows automatically, and you look at one screen instead of six apps. If you are weighing up a dedicated app against a spreadsheet, read the comparison of household budget apps vs spreadsheets.
What iPKO / IKO does vs what a dedicated budget app does
| Feature | iPKO / IKO | Dedicated budget app (e.g. Martia) |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-bank view | PKO BP only | All banks in one dashboard |
| Categorisation | Basic, fixed categories | AI-based, learns your habits |
| Interface language | PL / EN login | English dashboard regardless of bank |
| Monthly budgets | Limited | Per-category limits and alerts |
| Subscription detection | None | Automatic |
| Transactions and payments | Yes (PIS) | No — read-only (AIS) |
| Cost | Free for PKO customers | Free plan available |
This is not really a “PKO BP or budget app” choice. iPKO stays your tool for transfers, IKO for BLIK and card management; a budget app is the tool you use to understand where money actually goes across every bank you hold. One complements the other. If you are still deciding which tool to use, read the comparison of the best household budget apps in 2026.
Connecting PKO BP to a budget app — step by step
Here is the full flow, screen by screen. Total time: about a minute and a half. Before you start, make sure the IKO mobile app is installed and that push notifications are enabled — it plays a role in the final step.
Step 1: Tap “Connect bank account” in the app
Open the budget app (Martia, for example) and go to the account connection section. In Martia it lives under Settings → Add bank. Pick Poland as the country and select PKO Bank Polski from the list.
Step 2: Sign in on the official iPKO page
The app hands you off to your browser on ipko.pl. Double-check the address bar — just as you would for any bank login. Switch the language to English in the top corner. Enter your customer number and password. This is the same form you use every day. The budgeting app does not see any of this.
Step 3: Choose the accounts you want to share
Once signed in, iPKO lists your accounts: current, savings, credit card. Tick the ones you want to share — you do not have to share everything. Most people start with just the current account, but if you want a complete spending picture, include savings and any linked cards as well.
Step 4: Approve the consent in IKO
A push notification from IKO appears on your phone. Tap it — or open IKO manually. You will see an approval screen showing the app name, the scope (read-only), and the expiry date. You tap Approve. The phone returns to the browser, and the browser hands you back to the budgeting app.
Step 5: Watch transactions appear
Within tens of seconds the app pulls transaction history from the last 90 days (the maximum PSD2 allows without additional authentication). Each transaction is automatically categorised — food, transport, bills, entertainment — without you typing anything. If you want to understand how that categorisation actually works, read more about automatic expense categorisation in budgeting apps.
Adam, założyciel Martia
From the founder
I used to hold six accounts — one of them at PKO BP — and had zero picture of the whole. Every app showed its own slice. It was only when I built something that stitched it all together into a single view that I realised I was spending about €200 a month more than I thought. Not on anything specific — just on “everything”. That is the difference between looking at a balance and looking at the truth.
Got a PKO BP account? Connect it in 90 seconds.
The iPKO → IKO Push path, with no password handed to the app. Martia brings every account — PKO BP, Revolut, Wise, ING — into one view. Consent expires after 180 days and you can revoke it whenever you like.
Connection failed — now what?
The most common reasons for a failed PKO BP connection are a missing IKO push notification, an expired iPKO session, or a temporary outage of the PolishAPI interface on the bank's side. None of them put your account at risk — they are small, recoverable issues.
No push notification from IKO
The usual cause: push notifications for IKO are disabled in your phone settings. Open IKO manually and look in the Authorisations or In-app notifications tab — the consent is usually waiting there. If not, close IKO and reopen it. Then enable notifications in the system settings (iOS or Android → Settings → IKO → Notifications).
iPKO logged me out mid-flow
iPKO has a short session timeout — around five minutes of inactivity. If something distracted you mid-flow, the session may have expired, and the app will show an authorisation error. Go back to the budget app, tap Reconnect and start again. Nothing on your account has changed.
Older transactions are missing
PSD2 limits access to transactions older than 90 days without additional authentication. This is a regulatory constraint, not an app limitation. If you need older history, export it from iPKO as a CSV file and import it manually — PKO BP allows exports of up to two years.
The consent expired after 180 days
This is normal. The EBA extended the mandatory re-authentication window from 90 to 180 days. The budget app notifies you a few days in advance. You tap Renew consent — and go through the same iPKO → IKO Push path again. Another ~90 seconds and the connection is live.
I want to disconnect my PKO BP account from the app
Three ways, all effective immediately:
- 1.Inside the budget app (Martia → Settings → Accounts → PKO BP → Disconnect).
- 2.In iPKO → Settings → Third-party consents → revoke.
- 3.In the IKO app → Settings → Consents and access → revoke.
Once revoked, the app immediately loses access to new transactions. You can also delete the transaction history the app had already downloaded, straight from your account there.
Frequently asked questions
Does PKO BP support open banking for third-party apps?
Yes. PKO Bank Polski exposes a PSD2-compliant access interface built on the PolishAPI standard. Authorised third-party providers (AISPs) can — with your explicit consent — read transactions and account balances. PKO BP runs a public developer portal at developers.pkobp.pl, where the API is documented for regulated fintechs.
How do I connect PKO BP to a budget app?
Select PKO Bank Polski from the bank list in your budgeting app. You will be redirected to the official iPKO login page, where you enter your customer number and password — directly to the bank, never to the app. PKO BP then sends a push notification to your IKO mobile app. You tap Approve. The whole process takes roughly 90 seconds, and the app never sees your password or PIN.
Will a budget app see my PKO BP password or PIN?
No. Authentication happens on the official iPKO page — the same one you already use for online banking. The app receives a one-off access token that allows read-only access to transactions and balances. The token expires after 180 days, and you can revoke it at any time in iPKO, IKO or the budgeting app itself, under Consents and access.
Can a third-party app make payments from my PKO BP account?
No. Budgeting apps operate as AISPs (Account Information Service Providers) under PSD2 — a category that only permits reading data. Initiating payments requires a separate PISP licence, which budgeting apps do not hold and do not need. Martia, for example, can only read transactions and balances — exactly what you see yourself in iPKO.
I already use iPKO — why would I add another app?
iPKO and IKO show transactions from one bank: PKO BP. If you also hold accounts with Revolut, Wise, ING or a bank in your home country, those tools cannot see them. A dedicated budgeting app aggregates accounts from multiple banks across Europe into a single view, with automatic categorisation that works across currencies. It is the difference between looking at one pocket and seeing the whole wardrobe.
Does the budget app work in English if PKO BP is in Polish?
Yes. The iPKO login screen is available in English — click the language switcher in the top corner. The budget app itself has its own English interface, independent of the bank. Transaction descriptions come back exactly as PKO BP stores them (often in Polish), but categorisation and the dashboard are in the app's language, so you never have to interpret Polish accounting terms to understand where your money went.
How long does a PKO BP open banking consent last?
Under the revised regulatory technical standards published by the European Banking Authority, a user's consent to share account data remains valid for up to 180 days (extended from the original 90 days). After that you need to re-authorise using the same iPKO → IKO Push path — another 90 seconds, and the app reconnects automatically.
Which PKO BP accounts can I connect?
PolishAPI covers all payment accounts held by individual customers: current accounts (including Konto za Zero, Konto Inteligo, Student account), savings accounts and credit cards linked to those accounts. You can select multiple accounts in a single authorisation — no need to repeat the flow for each one. Business accounts use a different authorisation path.
Sources and further reading
- PKO Bank Polski (2026), Developer portal — PolishAPI documentation, developers.pkobp.pl
- PKO Bank Polski (2026), PSD2 directive — information for individual customers, pkobp.pl/psd2
- PKO Bank Polski (2026), PKO BP Group — Q4 2025 results (6.4M IKO customers, 303M quarterly transactions), pkobp.pl/investor-relations
- PolishAPI (2026), List of commercial banks supporting the standard, polishapi.org
- European Parliament / Council of the EU (2015), PSD2 Directive (2015/2366) — legal basis for open banking and AISP/PISP/CBPII categories, eur-lex.europa.eu
- European Banking Authority (2022), Opinion on the extension of the SCA re-authentication window to 180 days, eba.europa.eu
- GoCardless (2026), Bank Account Data — coverage for PKO BP and other Polish banks, gocardless.com
Read more
How to connect your bank account to a budget app — step by step →
The universal 3-Screen Method walkthrough, covering European banks beyond PKO BP.
What is open banking and is it safe? →
PSD2, AISP, strong customer authentication — the plain-English guide to how open banking actually works.
Bank account sync with an app →
What happens after you grant consent — from the user perspective and under the hood.
Where does my money go? →
How to find invisible spending across multiple bank accounts — the core problem a budget app solves.