Crédit Agricole 140 years of history: 1960s - A decade of renewal
Since 1897, Crédit Agricole received advances from the government each year, which it had to repay.
These advances were used to finance loans to farmers. However, with the launch of five-year notes in the 1940s and the regular issue of notes by the Caisse Nationale, Crédit Agricole was able to fund itself by drawing on French people’s savings. In 1963, Crédit Agricole became financially independent and no longer called on government financing.
Over the course of this decade, Crédit Agricole changed profoundly. With a growing network and employees gaining expertise in the bank’s businesses, it was on the front line in financing the modernisation of farming. The possibility of granting housing loans to all people in rural areas also made it a key player in local areas and in the fight against rural depopulation.
The 1960s were also important for the diversification of Crédit Agricole’s activities. With the aim of meeting the needs of all players in the agri-food sector, it created its first subsidiaries to acquire stakes in various companies (Sofidéca in 1962, Union d’études et d’investissements in 1967). These new companies served as the basis for its corporate and investment banking business.
In 1969, Crédit Agricole entered the equipment and real estate leasing market with the creation of subsidiaries Unimat and Unicomi to meet the equipment needs of professional farmers
With the aim of meeting the needs of
the various players in the
agri-food sector, Crédit Agricole
created its first subsidiaries to
acquire stakes in various companies
(Sofidéca in 1962, Union d’études et
d’investissements in 1967).
In the same series
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Crédit Agricole 140 years of history: 1970s - From rural to internationalFrom 1971, Crédit Agricole’s geographical scope gradually expanded. -
Crédit Agricole 140 years of history: 1950s - Expansion of the networkIn the early 1950s, Crédit Agricole developed savings inflows to boost financing for French farmers. -
Crédit Agricole 140 years of history: 1940s - War and reconstructionThe Second World War disrupted the organisation of Crédit Agricole. -
Crédit Agricole 140 years of history : 1930s - Helping farmers through the crisisThe 1929 crisis that began in the United States reached France in the following years. -
Crédit Agricole 140 years of history : 1920s - Electricity and housingThe birth of the Caisse Nationale de Crédit Agricole -
Crédit Agricole 140 years of history : 1910s - Serving the entire countryAt this time, two important measures strengthened Crédit Agricole’s action in its fight against rural depopulation. -
Crédit Agricole 140 years of history : 1900s - First extension of the scope of actionThe first decade of the 20th century saw Crédit Agricole establish a lasting presence in the regions. -
Crédit Agricole 140 years of history : 1890s - A bottom-up organisationCreation of the local banks -
Crédit Agricole 140 years of history : 1880s - Creation in the JuraOur story begins in 1885 in Salins-les-Bains in the Jura.