With this strategic partnership project, BNP Paribas and BPCE wish to take a major new step in the payments field by jointly acquiring the best technology for processing payments for card holders and merchants.
This processor would handle all card payments from BNP Paribas and Groupe BPCE in Europe, accounting for 17 billion transactions, and could also be opened to other banks. It would thus be the Number 1 processor in France, both Groups share the ambition to make it one of the Top 3 processors in Europe.
Given the unprecedented development of payment infrastructures and its future prospects, it is essential to invest in a way that is commensurate with the challenges. The partnership project announced today between BNP Paribas and BPCE will respond to ongoing market developments, in particular those relating to the digitalisation of payment systems, the virtualisation of debit cards and promotion of instantaneous transactions. It strengthens the partnership which already links the two banks within Partecis for the development of payment processing software, which they intend to expand and consolidate into a reference payment processor on the market, on an international level.
The partnership would result in the creation of a common processor with a technological platform (operations, back-office activities and development), capable of integrating the best technological standards for payments, the growing usage of digitalisation (acceleration of mobile payments, expansion of e-commerce, demand for immediacy) and the innovations brought about by domestic and international schemes (Carte Bancaire, Visa, Mastercard, EPI/Wero.).
With 17 billion transactions from BNP Paribas and BPCE processed, this processor would be the leader in France and will rank among the Top 3 in Europe. It could also be opened to handle transactions from other banking institutions.
The partnership is accompanied by an exclusive agreement between BNP Paribas and BPCE to create a target business model in the form of a joint venture.
The first generation of our collaboration in payments with BNP Paribas was a great success. With this new industrial partnership project, in line with our next strategic plan, we are taking an important step towards accelerating innovation in payments in the coming years. In this way, we will offer the best quality of service to our customers, in particular the networks Banque Populaire and Caisse d’Epargne.
Nicolas Namias, CEO of BPCE
Payment systems are an essential component of the bank's relationship with its customers, and we must ensure they adhere to the highest possible standards. Given that the increase in card transactions is exponential, our ambition for this processor, is to create a device that is efficient and scalable across all our European locations. It is this context that demonstrates how important this joint European platform project with Groupe BPCE is, as it aims to support the acceleration of our development in payment systems.
Jean-Laurent Bonnafé, Director and CEO of BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas is the European Union’s leading bank and key player in international banking. It operates in 63 countries and has nearly 183,000 employees, including more than 145,000 in Europe. The Group has key positions in its three main fields of activity: Commercial, Personal Banking & Services for the Group’s commercial & personal banking and several specialised businesses including BNP Paribas Personal Finance and Arval; Investment & Protection Services for savings, investment and protection solutions; and Corporate & Institutional Banking, focused on corporate and institutional clients. Based on its strong diversified and integrated model, the Group helps all its clients (individuals, community associations, entrepreneurs, SMEs, corporates and institutional clients) to realise their projects through solutions spanning financing, investment, savings and protection insurance. In Europe, BNP Paribas has four domestic markets: Belgium, France, Italy and Luxembourg. The Group is rolling out its integrated commercial & personal banking model across several Mediterranean countries, Turkey, and Eastern Europe. As a key player in international banking, the Group has leading platforms and business lines in Europe, a strong presence in the Americas as well as a solid and fast-growing business in Asia-Pacific. BNP Paribas has implemented a Corporate Social Responsibility approach in all its activities, enabling it to contribute to the construction of a sustainable future, while ensuring the Group's performance and stability.
Groupe BPCE is the second-largest banking group in France. Through its 100,000 staff, the group serves 35 million customers – individuals, professionals, companies, investors and local government bodies – around the world. It operates in the retail banking and insurance fields in France via its two major networks, Banque Populaire and Caisse d’Epargne, along with Banque Palatine and Oney. It also pursues its activities worldwide with the asset & wealth management services provided by Natixis Investment Managers and the wholesale banking expertise of Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking. The Group's financial strength is recognized by four credit rating agencies with the following senior preferred LT ratings: Moody's (A1, stable outlook), Standard & Poor's (A, stable outlook), Fitch (A+, stable outlook) and R&I (A+, stable outlook).
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