TP to introduce banking services?

Besides issuing credit cards, TP intends to offer bank loans and insurance policies.

The company's current CEO, Maciej Witucki, was previously employed at Lukas Bank and Cetelem Bank. He told the Polskadaily that rolling out all of the new services would take two to three years. Meanwhile, TP will launch its first products, insurance policies, next year.

TP wants to benefit from its large customer base. Its databases include about eight million customers of TP land-line services and 12 million cell-phone owners. It also owns 459 outlets, excluding micro-locations, and has a well-known brand.

According to information obtained byRzeczpospolita, the new services will be available under the Orange brand. Credit card holders will get rebates on their phone bills.

The idea is not new. Several telecommunications operators offer a credit card in cooperation with banks, as mobile brand Play does through GE Money Bank. The practice is even more popular abroad - British Telecom has been issuing credit cards for a year now.