Press release
Brussels, Lille, Montrouge, October 7th, 2025
Crelan and Crédit Agricole finalise their strategic partnership
Following the communication of 21 May 2025, the Crelan Group and the Crédit Agricole Group today announce that they have finalised their strategic partnership with the signing of commercial agreements and the acquisition of a 9.9% minority stake in Crelan SA/NV by the Crédit Agricole Group.
Crelan and the Crédit Agricole Group will now focus on implementing commercial collaborations in key areas such as asset management (via Amundi), private banking (via Indosuez Wealth Management / Bank Degroof Petercam) and leasing (via CA Leasing & Factoring).
The strategic partnership between the Crelan and Crédit Agricole groups marks a major step forward in the pooling of their respective strengths with a view to offering enhanced banking services in Belgium. By combining Crelan's local roots with the Crédit Agricole Group's expertise in asset management, private banking and leasing, the two cooperative groups will be primed to roll out quality services for the benefit of customers and cooperative shareholders.
The cooperative identity is at the heart of the mission pursued by both groups, which also plan to develop other joint commercial initiatives and regional cooperation (via Crédit Agricole Nord de France), building in particular on the ongoing drive to strengthen trade and investment between Belgium and Nord-Pas de Calais.
The Crelan Group's choice of a single partner to develop its separate business lines is a guarantee of strategic coherence and optimum expertise.
As part of this strategic partnership, the Crédit Agricole Group has acquired a 9.9% minority stake in Crelan, of which 6% was held by Crédit Agricole S.A. and 3.9% by Crédit Agricole Nord de France, via a capital increase carried out by Crelan SA/NV on 7 October 2025.
This transaction has an insignificant impact on the CET1 ratio of Crédit Agricole S.A., Crédit Agricole Nord de France and the Crédit Agricole Group, while generating a positive effect of 2.1% on the Crelan Group's phased CET1 capital ratio. This gives Crelan greater financial flexibility, enabling it to seize future opportunities for organic growth.
About Crelan Group
The financial group ranks fifth among Belgian retail banks in terms of total assets. The Crelan Group is represented by two bank logos: Crelan and Europabank. At 31/12/2024, the Crelan Group had: 4,327 employees (including staff members, independent banking agents, and their employees), 727 branches, 296,751 cooperative shareholders, nearly 1.7 million customers, and total assets of €55.8 billion. In addition, the banking group manages €44.3 billion in customer deposits, €16.5 billion in off-balance sheet investments and supports Belgian households and businesses through €49.5 billion in loans.
About Crédit Agricole
The Crédit Agricole Group is the leading financial partner to the French economy and one of Europe's most prominent banks. Europe's number one retail bank, the Group is also Europe's leading asset manager, Europe's leading bancassurance operator and Europe's third-largest project finance company.
Drawing on its historic foundations in cooperative and mutual banking, 157,000 employees and 27,423 local and regional branch directors, the Crédit Agricole Group is a responsible bank with a real purpose, serving 54 million customers and 12.1 million members.
Thanks to its local universal banking model - the close association between its local banks and the related business lines - the Crédit Agricole Group supports its customers in their projects in France and around the world: day-to-day banking, mortgages and consumer credit, savings, insurance, asset management, real estate, leasing, factoring, corporate and investment banking.
While serving the economy, Crédit Agricole is also characterised by its dynamic and innovative corporate social responsibility policy. This policy is based on a pragmatic approach that trickles down throughout the entire Group and mobilises every employee.
About Crédit Agricole Nord de France
As the leading financial partner to the regional economy, Crédit Agricole Nord de France provides local support to more than 1.1 million customers, including individuals, businesses, professionals, farmers, associations, local authorities and social housing stakeholders. With a network of 210 branches, 37 business centres and almost 3,000 employees throughout the Nord and Pas-de-Calais regions, it meets all savings, financing, insurance and property needs and offers a diverse range of expertise (executive banking, private equity, support for the energy transition, etc.). As a cooperative and mutual bank, Crédit Agricole Nord de France builds on the commitment of its 520,000 members and 70 local branches to harness economic performance, proximity and social utility to drive regional development.
Crelan press contact
Caroline Beauvois, Press & Corporate Communication Expert
Tel: + 32 (0) 475 82 09 34
Mail: press@crelan.be
All our press releases can be consulted at www.crelan.be
Crédit Agricole press contacts
Olivier Tassain: olivier.tassain@credit-agricole-sa.fr - +33 6 75 90 26 66
Alexandre Barat: alexandre.barat@credit-agricole-sa.fr - +33 6 19 73 60 28
Bénédicte Gouvert: benedicte.gouvert@ca-fnca.fr - +33 1 49 53 43 64
Anne-Sophie JOLY: anne-Sophie.JOLY@ca-norddefrance.fr - +33 7 61 79 49 43
All our press releases can be consulted at: www.credit-agricole.com
