Nearly 800,000 bank customers in four countries
Meeting its European customers' needs: this was BNP Paribas’ aim when it launched Hello bank!, the first pan-European mobile bank, in mid-2013. Thanks to this new bank, the BNP Paribas Group transformed its customer relations, and announced great ambitions for their development.
- Growing business volumes
- Germany: Cortal Consors is becoming Consors bank!
- Launch of Hello play! The first music crowd-sponsoring platform
Proactive customer acquisition
Hello bank! has been able to establish a strong foothold in the particularly competitive digital banking market. The new bank announced ambitious plans right from the start, i.e. 1.4 million customers in the four countries by 2017. At the end of 2014, 791,000 bank customers in Germany, Belgium, France and Italy will already be putting their trust in Hello bank! These customers include new customers attracted by the Hello bank! experience, as well as BNP Paribas customers who have chosen a fully mobile offer. They have also found answers and appropriate support at Hello bank! “We are continuing to expand in a very positive manner. We are delighted and proud to observe that our customers like our brand and our offers, and especially our user experience, etc.”, François Villeroy de Galhau, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of BNP Paribas, and Director of Domestic Markets, explains.
Four banks for a European model
Hello bank!, which was founded in the spring of 2013, is the result of a review on the change in consumption patterns. Retail banking was already at the centre of this phenomenon. This is a decision that BNP Paribas decided to apply in the four main European countries where it has operations as from 2013.
“Digital technology has genuinely changed the relationship between customers and their bank. Obviously, customers remain different between one country and the next, and have very specific habits and expectations. This is why, beyond Hello bank!’s common core, we are actually rolling out four offers that are tailored to each European country where we operate ” Béatrice Cossa Dumurgier, the Retail Banking COO for BNP Paribas, explains.
Cortal Consors is becoming Consors bank!
Cortal Consors is now called Consors bank! Thanks to a change of brand, and a change in the customer experience, Hello bank!’s German subsidiary has truly joined the Hello bank! fold. The bank, which is now fully incorporated into the Hello bank! model, is becoming a general bank that has not only a banking, but a brokerage platform.
More than a bank
To mark this first anniversary, Hello bank! is launching a unique initiative, i.e. Hello play!, the first music crowd-sponsoring platform! Hello play! transforms the way users listen to streaming platforms, in order to support music projects. Whereas Hello bank! was the result of observing new banking habits, Hello play! was the result of observing new music habits. Music, which people increasingly listen to on smartphones, has also become mobile. Its main channel is social networks.
Hello play! is now using this very powerful driver to support the musical projects of the future, regardless of whether they involve stars who have just been recognised, or future stars. Hello play! now enables its users to choose a music project and to support it by buying “Hello coins”, which it turns into financial support, in partnership with Ulule and Spotify, among others.
To find out more about Hello play!, go to www.helloplay.fr and www.helloplay.be.
Presscontacts:
Carine Lauru: +33 1 42 98 13 36, carine.lauru@bnpparibas.com
Julia Boyce: +33 1 43 16 82 04, julia.boyce@bnpparibas.com
Malka Nusynowicz: +33 1 42 98 36 25, malka.nusynowicz@bnparibas.com
Hilde Junius: +32 2 565 47 37, hilde.junius@bnpparibasfortis.com
About Hello bank! – A bank that is “Mobile, just like you”
Hello bank! is the first 100% digital mobile bank in Europe. In Germany, Belgium, France, and Italy, Hello bank! offers a radically new experience. Hello bank! customers enjoy four major advantages: a simple experience designed from the outset for mobile phones and tablets, a smart and comprehensive package (free bank card, attractive savings rates), customer support from the Hello Team offering extended opening hours, and the financial solidity of Hello bank! thanks to the backing of the BNP Paribas Group (BNP Paribas Fortis in Belgium, Consorsbank in Germany, BNP Paribas in France, and BNL in Italy).