One year to the day that saw the Olympic and Paralympic Games return to France, Paris 2024 and Groupe BPCE officially announced the signature of their partnership.

Groupe BPCE, with its Banque Populaire, Caisse d’Epargne, Banque Palatine and Natixis brands, becomes the first group to join the Paris 2024 national partnership program. This commitment, due to come into force on January 1, 2019 for the six years ahead, was made official by Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024 and Laurent Mignon, Chairman of the Management Board and Chief Executive Officer of Groupe BPCE.

The partnership sees Groupe BPCE team up with one of the world’s most powerful events in terms of media coverage, the biggest ever organized in France. Paris 2024 intends to leverage the exceptional media impact and engagement generated by the event to deliver on an unprecedented project: creative Games that propose an innovative model for sports events and responsible and sustainable Games that bequeath France a strong legacy. In short, Games that allow all those who want to play a part in the successful completion of a project, due to engage a whole country over the next six years, to start contributing right now.

Sport is obviously Paris 2024’s DNA. And Groupe BPCE’s engagement with sport through its Banque Populaire and Caisse d’Epargne brands – partners of French professional and amateur sport for over 30 years and the French National Olympic Sport Committee (CNOSF) since 2010 – naturally and swiftly brought the two entities together as partners. In teaming up with Paris 2024, Groupe BPCE strengthens its engagement with the French Olympic and Paralympic world. It also becomes a partner to France’s Olympic and Paralympic teams until 2024. Paris 2024 and Groupe BPCE wish to harness the unique opportunity presented by the Games to foster lasting change and to get people moving in response to the challenges facing French society, by promoting participation in sport for all, the fight against sedentary lifestyles, equal opportunities, social inclusion via sport and fresh views on disability.

Through this partnership, Groupe BPCE’s contribution will help make the Games a success. The whole of Groupe BPCE will be teaming up with the project, through one of the biggest banking networks in France and the engagement of the Banques Populaires, the Caisses d’Epargne, Natixis and Banque Palatine, all of whom are now fully-fledged partners of the Games. With 31 million customers, 9 million cooperative shareholders, 106,500 staff and its deep local roots, Groupe BPCE will ensure the whole of the Group takes part in this historic event. The Group plans numerous initiatives over the period across all of its territories, whether in terms of financing the sports economy and all sports infrastructure, or supporting sports associations, clubs and sports people, while also placing an emphasis on innovation. In particular, the Group intends to run initiatives on the theme of education, a longstanding engagement for Groupe BPCE and one raised to a priority by Paris 2024, which put education through sports, notably via the Olympic and Paralympic week at school, a key pillar of its project.

For Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024:
“One year after the award of the Games to France, the Paris 2024 family is expanding with the addition of Groupe BPCE and all its staff. We are happy to be setting off together on an exceptional adventure, underpinned by our shared passion for sport and our shared ambition to showcase the best of our country. Groupe BPCE will be there at our side to help make Paris 2024 the Games for all of France over the next six years.”

For Laurent Mignon, Chairman of the Groupe BPCE Management Board:
“It’s a source of great pride for Groupe BPCE and all our staff to be the first partner of Paris 2024, and to be able to contribute to this historic event for our country. It’s a fine project that chimes perfectly with our DNA and values: collective effort, surpassing oneself and solidarity. The Paris 2024 team can count on the engagement of our companies – Banque Populaire, Caisse d’Epargne, Banque Palatine and Natixis – and our 106,500 staff in all our territories.”

In agreement with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF), this first Premium partnership comes before Paris 2024 marketing rights are officially activated on January 1, 2019. It confirms the appeal of the project and the unique opportunity the Olympic and Paralympic Games create for French companies to respond to their strategic issues.

Paris 2024’s partnership program aims to cover around one third of the budget for organizing the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, 97% of which is earmarked to come from private sources.