Crédit Agricole 140 years of history: 1990s - A growing group
Crédit Agricole, no longer under government supervision, was now in control of its destiny. It completed its goal of becoming a universal bank with the ambition of being useful to all.
It developed some of its business lines either by creating subsidiaries or by making targeted acquisitions to round out its expertise..
In 1990, with the creation of Pacifica, its non-life insurance subsidiary, Crédit Agricole acquired a new dimension in the field of bancassurance and became one of the market leaders.
Poster from Pacifica, the new non-life insurance subsidiary (1991).
In 1996, another major milestone was reached when Crédit Agricole acquired Banque Indosuez, which provided the Group with a solid, long-standing international network and recognised expertise in asset management, corporate and investment banking and wealth management. The new entity was named Crédit Agricole Indosuez..
Above, a Poster for the Minitel service of the Sud Alliance regional bank (left) and Crédit Agricole Indosuez (right) in 1990s
Meanwhile, the regional banks decided to carry out a major transformation
There were still 94 regional banks at the start of the decade. In a bid to better meet their customers’ needs, they decided to merge neighbouring regional banks with the aim of forming fully-fledged regional banks of sufficient size.
The pooling of resources also fostered the development of high-performance IT solutions, at a time when digital technology was starting to take on an increasing role in the uses of customers and society. These mergers led to the creation of the current 39 regional banks.
In the same series
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Crédit Agricole 140 years of history: 2000s - A new dimensionIn 2001, the regional banks, the majority shareholders of Caisse Nationale de Crédit Agricole, decided to open up its capital to the public. -
Crédit Agricole 140 years of history: 1980s - The beginnings of universal bankingIn the early 1980s, Crédit Agricole operated throughout France, including in the largest urban areas. It also began to develop its international network with a growing number of new locations (Frankfurt, Milan, Cairo, Singapore, etc.). -
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: 1960s - A decade of renewalSince 1897, Crédit Agricole received advances from the government each year, which it had to repay. -
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.