I found out unofficially that Santander Poland's management is working on introducing a new branch format called Work Cafe on the Polish market. Similar outlets can be found in other countries where Santander is present. I wasn't able to confirm this information with the bank's main Polish office, but you can already find job postings for Work Cafe branch employees online.

Related: Orlen, Poland's Biggest Gas Station Chain, Introduces Orlen Pay

Santander's first new format branch will be opened in Warsaw, although the location hasn’t been confirmed yet. As the name suggests, Work Cafes will look more like coffee shops where you can come and do some work than traditional bank branches. Bank employees will use that to meet new customers or help existing ones with using new banking services.

Related: Poland Launches Regulatory Sandbox for Fintech Companies

Santander won't be the first bank in Poland to open cafe-style branches. Several years ago, Idea Bank had a similar idea and opened their Idea Hub branches. The concept must have been a success because other banks, like BGŻ BNP Paribas, followed suit. Now Santander wants to invite customers over for coffee as well. This trend might be the result of changing customer habits. They use online banking more and more often, and only visit actual bank branches sporadically. The aim of such cafe-style branches is to help banks adjust to this new reality.