Benefit corporation serving the common good
Rethinking the place of companies in society
Adopted in April 2019, the Pacte law (Action Plan for Business Growth and Transformation) aims to rethink the place of companies in society. It thus enables companies to incorporate clear and sustainable social and environmental goals into their articles of association.
Becoming a benefit corporation reflects the highest level of commitment defined by law. For this, companies must meet several conditions:
- Adopt a raison d’être and incorporate it into their articles of association ;
- Identify several social and environmental objectives in line with this raison d’être in their articles of association ;
- Create a Mission Committee to oversee the progress made in achieving these objectives ;
- Appoint an independent third party to verify that the mission is properly carried out.
Reaffirming our identity and raison d’être
Following discussions with its elected directors and employees, in late 2020 Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale adopted the raison d’être “Ensemble, écouter et agir” (Listening and acting together) and benefit corporation status. This raison d’être is intended to guide strategic and operational decisions:
- Together, because collective action has been part of Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale’s DNA since its creation.
- Listening, because Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale is open and attentive to major changes in the world and to the needs of its members and customers.
- Acting, to transform the collective ability to listen into action and support initiative-takers.
Being a benefit corporation means using our collective performance for the common good, pushing our convictions to their full potential, and innovating around our products and services. These are the aims that guide our actions today.
By adopting new commitments, we want to anchor Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale at the heart of the challenges of its time and support our growth and development ambitions. These aims are now fully integrated into our business model.
Being a benefit corporation simply means applying our mutualist approach in a manner that is continuous, effective, innovative and differentiating.
Transforming the company and the world around it
By becoming the first benefit corporation bank, Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale has demonstrated its permanent desire to dedicate the strength of its mutualist model to transforming the company and the world around it. Five missions are now part of its corporate purpose. They reflect what Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale is: a mutualist, inclusive, ethical, community-oriented and responsible group.
Through these five missions, Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale is reasserting not only its historical mutualist values but also their relevance in meeting the major challenges of tomorrow. To achieve these five major ambitions, we made fifteen concrete commitments, applicable from 2022. In 2025, these 15 initial commitments have been updated and converted into 20 new ones that underpin our role as a benefit corporation in areas that are key today.
Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale, the first benefit corporation bank
Discover our 5 missions and our 20 commitments
Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale has a raison d’être « Ensemble, écouter et agir » that aligns with its mutual values. In this continuity, Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale has defined 5 missions applicable from 2022 that put its customers at the heart of its daily action.