Credit Agricole S A : Crédit Agricole steps up its AI transformation

About this update from Credit Agricole Sa

Nearly €500 million invested over three years Establishment of a Group "AI company" that: develops and operate the AI industrial platforms promotes the use of European solutions An "AI For All" transformation programme that involves all teams in the transformation Crédit Agricole will invest nearly €500 million over three years (2026-2028) to speed up AI deployment across the Group. It announces the creation of a dedicated "AI company" that will operate the AI technology platforms for all its entities. This structure will enable Crédit Agricole to combine innovation with control: investing in cutting-edge solutions while limiting its technological dependencies and ensuring the long-term performance of its services. It will also promote the development of European technologies, in line with the ACT 2028 strategic plan. At the same time, the Group aims to involve its employees in this transformation through an iterative and transparent approach: "AI For All". The goal is to create value by striking the right balance between people and artificial intelligence. Key challenges: performance, strategic autonomy and European sovereignty, and sustainability The Group's large-scale AI deployment hinges on a number of key challenges: AI promises efficiency gains, but its business model remains unstable. Crédit Agricole intends to ensure that the benefits of digital transformation are not undermined by hidden costs or dependencies beyond its control. Strategic autonomy and European sovereignty. Against a backdrop of growing geopolitical tensions, the Group is determined to avoid technological dependence. The aim is to retain control over its industrial choices and support the emergence of European tech champions. In a world of limited resources, technological choices are becoming crucial. Europe has major strengths - carbon-free energy, expertise and a talent ecosystem - which the Group intends to leverage. A strategic framework for scaling up the use of AI Crédit Agricole has chosen to carry out its scale-up within a clear framework. Its approach is based on four pillars: Customer: because its customers are unique, Crédit Agricole rejects excessive standardisation resulting from the exclusive use of AI; People: Crédit Agricole is convinced that its long-term performance depends on the complementary roles of people and AI. AI helps to improve operational efficiency when people contribute their insight and emotional understanding and, ultimately, make the difference; Ethics: establishment of a multidisciplinary scientific committee to oversee AI deployment, ensuring that it is scaled up in line with its purpose; Autonomy: managing technological dependencies and promoting the European ecosystem to ensure the sovereignty of its solutions. €500 million to speed up the Group's AI transformation Crédit Agricole allocates €500 million from its medium-term IT investment plan to establish and operate its "AI company" and the associated computing and infrastructure capabilities. An organisation that supports all entities The "AI company" builds a shared technological foundation, enabling each entity to drive its own AI transformation independently. This model offers three key benefits: access to cutting-edge technologies under the Group's control, protection of critical data and processes, and the ability to easily share AI capabilities across entities. The "AI company" depends on CA-GIP to coordinate the distribution of AI computing based on sensitivity and criticality, combining the Group's private cloud, European partners and complementary solutions as required. It rolls out models tailored to each use case - advanced customer service agents, process automation, collaborative tools - and operates the Data Marketplace announced in the ACT 2028 strategic plan to streamline intra-group data sharing. Supporting the European tech ecosystem To demonstrate its commitment to European sovereignty, the Group is leveraging all its resources: supporting innovation through the 47 "Villages by CA" initiatives, providing financing and investment capabilities, and strategically directing its technology spending towards European solutions. Olivier Gavalda, Chief Executive Officer of Crédit Agricole S.A.: "Beyond mere economic performance, artificial intelligence raises a question of sovereignty that is crucial for Europe. Its large-scale deployment must remain fully under control and help to maintain value creation in Europe. It represents an opportunity to enhance our collective capacity to finance and develop a sustainable economic and social model. At Crédit Agricole, we have chosen to deploy AI in a carefully controlled manner, retaining control over technologies within a clear and transparent framework. And we firmly believe that sustainable performance is based on the complementarity of people and AI." Raphaël Appert, First Deputy Chairman of Fédération Nationale du Crédit Agricole and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of Crédit Agricole S.A.: "The large-scale deployment of AI presents an opportunity for growth and value creation for all our stakeholders, particularly our customers, who will benefit from a broader and better-tailored range of services. Our strength lies in working as a Group: pooling our resources to maximise our impact." Olivier Biton, Director of Technological Transformation of Crédit Agricole S.A.: "Establishing an "AI company" is no small matter. We firmly believe that this is the only credible way to combine large-scale AI deployment with genuine control over our technological dependencies. This is not a project aimed at centralisation; it is an industrial initiative designed to support the Group's entities and their local AI teams." About Crédit Agricole Group Crédit Agricole, the world's 10th largest bank (The Banker 2025), is the leading financier of the French economy and one of Europe's foremost banking groups. Present in 46 countries, it is the leader in retail banking in Europe, the leading European asset manager, the leading bancassurance group in Europe, and the third-largest European player in project finance. Built on its strong cooperative and mutual roots, its 160,000 employees and the 27,165 directors of its Local and Regional Banks, the Crédit Agricole is a responsible and responsive bank serving 55 million customers and 12,3 million mutual shareholders. Thanks to its universal customer-focused retail banking model - based on the cooperation between its retail banks and their related business lines -, the Crédit Agricole supports its customers' projects in France and around the world: day-to-day banking, home loans, consumer finance, savings, insurances, asset management, real estate, leasing and factoring, and corporate and investment banking. Crédit Agricole also stands out for its dynamic, innovative corporate social responsibility policy, for the benefit of the economy. This policy is based on a pragmatic approach which permeates across the Group and engages each employee.

View stock analysis, news, and events for Credit Agricole Sa