“Our growth is largely through word of mouth”notes Marie Degrand-Guillaud, general manager of Nickel. The alternative banking service, which allows you to open an account in 5 minutes at a tobacconist, without income conditions and without the possibility of overdraft, has just celebrated its 10th anniversary. And at the same time, the mark of 4 million accounts opened in France. A goal that the company had set for the end of 2024.
8,000 points of sale in France
The reasons for this success: a current account accessible to all, bank fees of 25 euros per year, but also a very extensive network of local distributors. “If we compare ourselves to traditional banking players, we have the leading current account distribution network with nearly 8,000 points of sale in the country,” underlines Marie Degrand-Guillaud. Nickel renewed its partnership with the National Confederation of French Tobacconists at the beginning of the year, which allows it to cover all French departments, in France and overseas. “In the French Overseas Territories, we also have other types of partners. In Mayotte, our most efficient partner is a hair salon for example. And in Guyana, we are present in a service station”specifies the general director.
The French actor, profitable since 2018, also has great ambitions. “We finance all our developments, we are capable of building a robust business”, believes the general director who wishes to expand internationally. Since 2021, Nickel has established itself in Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Germany. “In our strategic plan, we are mainly targeting countries in the euro zone. We chose these countries based on their size but also based on several parameters. We were more interested in markets where retail banks tended to close branches. We also looked at countries where banking fees are increasing and we were interested in the relationships that residents have with their banks”lists Marie Degrand-Guillaud, who now wishes to continue building her distribution network and structure herself in these markets. By the end of next year, Nickel hopes that 30% of new accounts opened will come from these locations.
A mini loan and home insurance
At the same time, the company of 850 employees plans to launch new services. “Our customers ask us for credit and insurance. We are therefore starting to launch new services, in partnership with other players. » Nickel has joined forces with the online bank Floa to offer a mini credit offer of up to 1,000 euros, to be repaid in four installments, over a maximum period of three months. Nickel has also diversified into home insurance, partnering with Dutch insurance company Lemonade. Nickel is also expected to announce the launch of a savings offer. “We have big ambitions, continues Marie Degrand-Guillaud. In terms of diversification and international deployment, we are at the very beginning of the story. »
