Our history

In the 19th century, the industrial and agricultural revolution gave new impetus to the cooperative movement. Mutualism emerged from a seething backdrop of intellectual, economic and social upheaval. Offering an original response to a need for investment and financial solidarity, this movement thrived naturally in the fields of banking, insurance and social protection.

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Mutualism, born from the energy of a visionary

Crédit Mutuel was founded in the Rhineland under the impetus of Frédéric‑Guillaume Raiffeisen.

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The first banks in Alsace, and then in Lorraine

February 27, 1882: the first Crédit Mutuel bank was set up in La Wantzenau.

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Creation and development of Fédération Centre Est Europe

From 1885, the story continues to gradually assemble Federation Crédit Mutuel Centre Est Europe

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More than seven decades of expansion and diversification since the war

After the Second World War, Crédit Mutuel pursues its diversification strategy and continues to grow.

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Key dates relating to Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale

• 1849
  Crédit Mutuel begins life in the Rhineland when Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen founds the Flammersfeld farmers' aid society to combat usury. He goes on to found the first local cooperative banks, based on the principles of shared responsibility and a strict equality of power between members: one vote per member, whether lender or borrower.
• 1882
  The « Raiffeisen model » crosses the border with the creation of the Caisse de La Wantzenau, a local bank near Strasbourg.
• 1947
  The local banks are classified as non-profit organizations and shortly after unite to form a federation.
• 1958
  The Order of October 16, 1958 lays down the modern organization of Crédit Mutuel. The Order defines the status of the local banks and that of the Confederation to which the regional federations have belonged since 1959.
• 1993
  The Crédit Mutuel Centre Est Europe and Sud-Est federations form the Caisse Fédérale Commune, the foundation of what is today Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale.
• 1998
  CIC is acquired by Banque Fédérative du Crédit Mutuel (BFCM).
• 2002-2012
  The Ile-de France (2002), Savoie-Mont Blanc (2006), and Midi-Atlantique (2009) federations join the Caisse Fédérale. In 2011, the Loire-Atlantique et Centre-Ouest, Centre, Normandie, Dauphiné-Vivarais and Méditerranéen federations join to form CM10, which becomes CM11 with the arrival of the Anjou federation in 2012.
• 2018
  At the end of the year, the name CM11 is dropped and the name « Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale » is adopted for the body formed by the 11 Crédit Mutuel federations, Banque Fédérative du Crédit Mutuel (BFCM) and its subsidiaries
• 2020
  On January 1st, the Caisse Fédérale will be joined by the Antilles-Guyane and Massif-Central Federations.
• 2020
  In October, Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale becomes the first bank to adopt “benefit corporation” status.
• 2020
  In December, Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale strengthens its 2019-2023 strategic plan.
• 2022
  The 1^st January 2022, the Caisse Fédérale is join by the Fédération Crédit Mutuel Nord Europe.