Strategy

The digital and human transformation

Crédit Agricole’s ambitions are based on a digital relationship model enhanced by human responsibility. For customers, this means having completely digital key journeys and human assistance in real time.

  • Offering all our customers and employees a user experience that meets the highest standards in their daily digital consumption is a priority for Crédit Agricole. Supported by the ambitious “IT 2025” programme, the Group’s digital transformation is moving forwards by capitalising on technology, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the cloud, which play a central role as accelerators.

    Completely digital key pathways, augmented by human responsibility

    Digital is essential to meet customer expectations in terms of modern and accessible banking services. In this universe, the mobile app has become the principal method for interaction with the bank, stressing the importance of robust, intuitive digital solutions.

    For customers

    • To support the customer appetite for autonomy and subscription to products and services in 100% selfcare1, the Regional Banks are implementing a major project aimed at offering 15 native digital offerings and solutions in a “mobile and selfcare first” approach (Ma banque and customer portal).
    • LCL continues its momentum to rework and enhance the digital functionalities offered to its customers. 15% of sales (account openings and subscription to our products) are made digitally on the products eligible for these processes.
    • The online bank BforBank implemented its new positioning in September 2023 based on a differentiating value proposition. Its process for establishing relationships with the best standards and its 24/7 customer service had already attracted more than 125,000 customers in 2024.
    Banking apps 3/4 Nearly three out of four customers visit the Group’s banking applications daily.

    1 A practice that allows customers to manage their own account and make purchases independently via a website or mobile app.

    For employees

    • More than 8,000 employees have joined the Digit Academy since its launch in April 2023 for digital acculturation and training, focusing on the challenges and technology involved.
    • Agile methods continue to be deployed in all the Group’s entities and an ambitious plan of acculturation and training in Generative AI is now in place.

    A three-year IT programme and investments

    The “IT 2025” programme has enabled major technological transformations. It has been deployed in a set of sub-programmes that will:

    Developing our technologies to accelerate digitally: controlling the resource consumption trajectory of the information system, launching the ‘AI/AI Gen’ sub-programme (AI Committee), ramping up the Crédit Agricole Group’s private clouds with growth of more than +50% in 2024 in the latest generation cloud.

    Implement a foundation of best practices: implementation of a “Trustworthy Digital” framework in five parts (sustainability, trust, inclusivity, quality of life at work, and sovereignty), “Level 2 sustainable IT” labelling of the Group’s IT companies, and rollout of the digital accessibility policy in all the entities.

    Capitalise and invest in solid foundations: continue to increase resources dedicated to Cybersecurity (strengthening policies, sophistication of the tools for monitoring, detection, protection and remediation) and compliance with the stringent DORA2 framework with regard to the resilience and security of the digital services. The seven Design Authorities (Cyber & Risks, Cloud, Data, AI, Interoperability, Sustainable IT, New technologies) serve as the foundation for the normative response of the Group to the regulatory requirements and the interoperability needs of the Group’s business line model.

    2022-2025 Trajectory €1.4bn dedicated to the “IT 2025” transformation programme

    2 The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) is a European regulation of 16 January 2023, which came into force in January 2025, to strengthen the information security of financial entities and suppliers of third-party ICT services, such as cloud services or data analysis services.

    Innovation in action: the Crédit Agricole Group start-up studio

    La Fabrique, the Group’s start-up studio, is dedicated to exploring new areas of our customers’ needs. To enhance the future of banking, La Fabrique innovates by creating start-ups in different fields, including:

    • The launch of the HR bank with Worklife, the only solution in France that integrates employee benefits on a single payment card, with the goal of becoming the leading bank for corporates and executives.
    • The roll-out of Kolecto, an electronic invoicing management offer for VSB-SME in the 39 Regional Banks and at LCL (from 2025).

    "We have strengthened our commitment to a trustworthy digital service by implementing responsible and inclusive practices. Moreover, we continue to capitalise on our solid foundations by increasing the resources dedicated to cybersecurity and we have therefore met the stringent DORA framework."

  • Our Human-Centric Project is at the very centre of the Crédit Agricole S.A. “Ambitions 2025” Medium-Term Plan. It is aimed at pursuing our organisational, cultural and human transformation.

    Our major actions in 2024

    The launch of the “LinkedIn Learning” platform

    Driven by the desire to improve the working lives of its employees, Crédit Agricole S.A. has opened LinkedIn Learning to all its employees, enabling them to undertake independent training through access to 22,000 courses available in 24 languages. This offering is in addition to the other training offered, particularly the training sessions offered by IFCAM. In a position of responsibility, each employee thus has the opportunity to play an active role in their professional career.

    => At 31 December 2024, all Crédit Agricole S.A. entities had started the roll-out of LinkedIn Learning.

    Continued managerial transformation

    The organisational, managerial and cultural transformation that the Human-Centric Project has supported since 2019 has helped to develop new ways of working and to strengthen the team.
    Crédit Agricole S.A. entities participate in this approach through the establishment of dedicated programmes, team by team: support sessions with coaches, as well as small group co-construction workshops offer employees the opportunity to reflect together on concrete actions to make the principles of the Human-Centric Project operational in their teams.
    2024 was the year in which the Group ramped up its managerial and cultural transformation internationally.

    => In total, 65,500 employees, representing 81% of employees worldwide, took part in the Group’s managerial and cultural transformation.

    Listening to employees with the Empowerment Index

    Participation in the Internal Empowerment Index (IMR) was up +2 points over 2023, to reach 85% this year. This participation rate is the highest since the implementation of our surveys in 2016 when it was 64%. The high level of employee mobilisation attests to their commitment to, and confidence in, the Group and its Medium-Term Plan.
    Among the positive points highlighted, the employer recommendation continues to rise to reach 79% favourable opinions, up +3 points from 2023, a level never reached until now.
    This year, for the first time, the Group included questions on the theme of trust.

    => These results bear witness to the momentum generated by our Human-Centric Project, which we must pursue with determination and fully in line with the Societal Project and the Customer Project.

    "This year, for the first time, questions on trust among our employees were included in our Internal Empowerment Index (IMR) questionnaire."

    Human-Centric Project monitoring metrics (Crédit Agricole S.A. and its subsidiaries)

    Employee retention and engagement

    13,276 Cumulative number of young people welcomed during the calendar year
    2.6m Total number of training hours
    29.4% Percentage of women on Crédit Agricole S.A.’s Executive Committee

    Working environment and conditions

    195 Number of agreements signed
    2.86% Absenteeism rate