As part of its benefit corporation status adopted in the second half of 2020, Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale has defined 15 concrete mutualist commitments applicable as of 2022. These commitments put customers at the center of our everyday action, as we strive to combat all forms of discrimination, protect the data privacy of our fellow citizens, promote regional development and contribute to a fairer and more sustainable society.

Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale Mission Committee reports

Download the 2022 report

Download the 2021 report

Mission 1
As a cooperative and mutualist organization, we support our customers and members to best serve their interests

1. Promote democracy within the bank by doubling the number of members voting at shareholders’ meetings.

Every one of the five million customers of the member federations of Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale can subscribe for shares in their bank and become a member. We want to give our customers and members a stronger voice and are making a commitment to double the number of voters at shareholders’ meetings to strengthen our mutualist democracy.

2. Ensure that each customer has a dedicated advisor who does not work on commission.

Every member and customer has the benefit of a dedicated advisor tasked with creating and developing a relationship of trust by listening, taking action, giving relevant advice and providing quality services. These advisors respond to their customers’ needs to the best of their interests, without being distracted by sales incentives or personal bonuses.

3. Make more room for young people and work toward greater parity on Boards of Directors starting in 2022.

To ensure that Crédit Mutuel's mutualist approach remains dynamic and innovative, we want our boards to fairly represent society around us. This will help us achieve greater representation of women and young people on our boards, which have just over 15,000 elected directors. We encourage them to run for office during elections to our boards.

Mission 2
As a bank for everyone - members and customers, employees and elected directors - we act on behalf of each person and reject discrimination in any form

4. Provide all our employees and elected directors with anti-discrimination training.

We commit to achieving progress in the prevention of discrimination through training for all employees and elected directors. Inclusion and diversity are key elements of the mutualist bankassurance strategy, as part of which all candidates and talent are welcomed and valued such that our differences complement each other and become an asset and driver of creativity.

5. Recruit 25% of work-study employees from priority neighborhoods and rural areas.

Young people are our future and supporting their career development is our duty. As part of our DNA and the values we uphold, Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale is profoundly anchored in and committed to the regions, and aims to work daily to ensure everyone has the same opportunities for access to employment.

6. Defend gender pay equality at all levels of the bank.

Pay equality is one lever for achieving parity as part of a career development plan for women. For the last several years, we have emphasized parity in appointments to senior and executive management positions. No director training session takes place without parity.

Table of notes on closing gender pay gaps 2023 [PDF - 141 KB]

Table of gaps in gender representation in 2023 among executive management and members of the management bodies of companies with more than 1,000 employees [PDF - 632 KB]

Mission 3
Respectful of each person’s privacy, we make sure that technology and innovation benefit people

7. Guarantee the privacy of our customers’ data by processing 99% of their information in our French infrastructures and systems.

Through its IT subsidiary Euro-Information, Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale puts technology to work for the benefit of development, security and the protection of customer data. It does this by investing heavily in its IT infrastructure and through datacenters and a private cloud that are installed and managed internally. We draw on all of our technical, financial and human resources to preserve the integrity and confidentiality of our customers’ data.

8. Invest productivity gains from artificial intelligence in jobs and development.

Because technology must always be used to serve people, Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale measures productivity gains from technology and artificial intelligence and pledges to invest them in jobs and development. Technological innovation is implemented with two requirements: efficiency and added value on a human level for employees. At the same time, the group strives to keep all its staff employed through upskilling and internal promotion.

Mission 4
As a community-oriented company, we contribute to regional development

9. Base decision-making centers in the regions with more than 90% of our loan decisions made at a local bank or branch.

Drawing on our network of 4,500 branches, we strive to ensure that all decisions are taken locally, as close as possible to the customer. By making decisions locally, we can act rapidly for the benefit of our members and customers.

10. Offer the Pay Asso digital payment solution1 to our non-profit customers and third-party liability insurance to their managers2.

To encourage those who make a commitment, we offer up to €50,000 in third-party liability insurance for managers of cultural and sports associations that are Crédit Mutuel customers. We also make it easier for cultural and sports associations to manage their day-to-day affairs by offering free access to the Pay Asso electronic payment solution. This is our way of demonstrating our commitment to those involved in the local non-profit sector.

11. Invest 5% of our equity mainly in French companies to promote innovation, growth and employment in our regions.

Because a mutual bank must drive economic growth in France, Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale is committed to investing 5% of its equity each year mainly in long-term strategic projects that create value in our regions.

Mission 5
As a responsible company, we strive for a fairer, more sustainable society

12. Reduce the group's carbon emissions by 20% and the carbon footprint of our investment portfolios by 12% by the end of 20223.

Because controlling energy consumption is a priority, Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale has worked to reduce its (group) carbon emissions by 20% and the carbon footprint of its investment portfolios by 12% by the end of 2022. Firmly committed to complying with the carbon trajectory of the Paris Agreements by limiting global warming to +1.5°C, the group has introduced sector policies in sectors that emit high levels of greenhouse gases.

13. Promote the energy transition by no longer financing new oil and gas projects.

After discontinuing the financing of projects related to unconventional hydrocarbons and coal, the decision to stop financing new oil and gas exploration, production and infrastructure projects is in line with the measures we are taking to combat global warming.

14. Provide our loyal customers with mortgage loans without any medical formalities4.

To ensure that health is no longer an obstacle to home ownership, Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale is eliminating medical formalities for loyal customers taking out a loan to purchase their primary residence, regardless of their health status. This measure reflects our commitment to protect those who put their trust in us and facilitates their access to borrowing.

15. Support financially vulnerable customers by offering an account for €1 a month, with no rejected payment charges.

Because the lowest-income customers need support, we offer Facil Accès €1 (see terms and conditions), a current account with no rejected payment charges, a dedicated advisor and a nearby branch, for €1 a month. In this way, Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale offers the best socially responsible banking solution for financially vulnerable individuals that includes all the services they need to manage their accounts and keep up with their day-to-day expenses.

1 Crédit Mutuel PAY ASSO is an easy-to-use online payment tool.

2 Third-party liability insurance covering the personal liability of managers of non-profit associations. Insured amount capped at €50,000 per year. Terms and conditions available at Crédit Mutuel local banks.

1 and 2 Offers reserved for associations governed by the French Law of July 1, 1901 or subject to the local laws of Alsace-Moselle. Associations must be non-profit, have a sports or cultural purpose, have an annual budget of less than €500,000, and hold a current account at Crédit Mutuel.

3 Reduction compared to 2018.

4 Offer subject to the following conditions: reserved for the purchase of a primary residence, for customers whose main income has been credited to an account directly held with Crédit Mutuel for seven years and who are under 62 years of age when taking out the policy; insured amount capped at €500,000 per borrower; open to all first-time subscriptions for an ACM creditor insurance policy for a primary residence, or to customers who already have creditor insurance from ACM for their primary residence. Details of terms and conditions available at Crédit Mutuel local banks that offer these services.