For his 10e anniversary, Nickel, the promoter of “counting for all”, treated himself to a huge orange cake – his favorite color – and new ambitions. The company, created in 2014, announced on Wednesday February 7 the launch of insurance and credit products, and increased its objectives: “certain” to reach four million customers in France by 2024, it is now targeting 5.5 million across Europe by the end of 2025.
To expand its range of products, the company logically relied on the resources of the BNP Paribas group, which bought it in 2017. The home insurance offer was developed with BNP Paribas Cardif, the credit one with Floa, another subsidiary of the group.
The result, a “mini loan” capped at 1,000 euros over three months, at an interest rate of 2% to 3%, aims, among other things, to allow customers to “smooth out a big expense”affirms Thomas Courtois, the president of Nickel, who rejects any “revolving credit logic [ou crédit renouvelable] ».
Because Nickel, which claims an active role as a player in banking inclusion, also recognized by players in the fight against overindebtedness and by the Banque de France, must take into account the specificity of its clients: a third of ‘among them are “people in difficulty with the bank, or who want a simpler banking relationship”explains Marie Degrand-Guillaud, deputy general director.
Distribution networks
Basic services, credit, insurance: savings are missing, which remain out of reach due to lack of a banking license, since Nickel only has payment institution status. Projects are nevertheless under study, with the aim of launching by the end of 2025.
In the meantime, Nickel continues to develop its distribution networks: in France, the company has renewed for ten years its agreement with the Confédération des tobacconists, of which 7,500 members out of 23,000 distribute its products. The objective is to become the leading banking distribution network in the country, at a time when several large historical networks are closing branches.
Abroad, where the milestone of one hundred thousand customers has been reached, Nickel relies on tobacconists and gambling points of sale in Spain, lotteries in Germany, convenience stores in Portugal and bookstores. in Belgium.
This international development is self-financed, since the activity generated 36 million euros in profit before tax in 2023, for 163 million euros in revenue. Enough to continue to increase the workforce, from 285 to 828 people in five years.