BCC Iccrea Group and BNP Paribas Cardif sign a strategic partnership for life insurance in Italy

November 27, 2023

BCC Iccrea Group and BNP Paribas Cardif sign a strategic partnership for life insurance in Italy
 

BNP Paribas Cardif will acquire a 51% stake in BCC Vita along with an agreement with BCC Banca Iccrea for the exclusive distribution.

BCC Banca Iccrea, parent company of the BCC Iccrea Group, and the insurer BNP Paribas Cardif have signed a strategic bancassurance partnership in life insurance.

The choice of BCC Iccrea Bank (holding of the BCC Iccrea Group) came after a complex selection process involving several leading companies in the European insurance market with a consolidated position also in the life sector in Italy.

The proposal submitted by BNP Paribas Cardif, the insurance arm of the BNP Paribas Group stands out in terms of product range, with products customised specifically for the BCC Iccrea Group to support the sales network. Among other things, the agreement provides BNP Paribas Cardif with the purchase of 51% of BCC Vita, the BCC Iccrea Group's life insurance company, set up in 2008 to promote life and protection insurance services through a wide range of policies able to meet the need of securing and protecting one’s savings. BNP Paribas Cardif will be able to extend the duration of the partnership up to a total of 15 years and to acquire an additional 19% of BCC Vita.

For the BCC Iccrea Group, the agreement will strengthen and align the product range of the 116 BCCs* that belong to the BCC Iccrea Group with respect to bancassurance, providing continuity to the commitment made by BCC Vita.

This agreement for exclusive distribution with BCC Banca Iccrea, holding of the second largest banking group in Italy by number of branches allows BNP Paribas Cardif to fulfill its diversification through new distribution networks, notably in Italy. At the same time, BNP Paribas Cardif will follow its strategic plan and its ambition to reinforce its position in the insurance market worldwide through new business opportunities.

A particular strategic role in the partnership will be played by BCC Servizi Assicurativi, the specialised insurance hub of the BCC Iccrea Group that has strengthened since August 2020, its personalised assistance and consulting services for customers and shareholders of member BCCs and its technological innovation support to the network of their 2,500 branches in Italy. BCC Servizi Assicurativi, founded with the mission of capitalising on the significant growth potential offered by the bancassurance sector, has progressively assumed the role of insurance competence centre for both the BCC Iccrea Group's companies and the BCCs.

“I’m very pleased that we were able to close a commercial agreement for life insurance with BNP Paribas Cardif, an important partner both in Italy and in Europe”, commented Mauro Pastore, General Manager of the BCC Iccrea Group. “The partnership comes after a long internal evaluation that sought to identify a company that could ensure our 116 BCCs a complete, competitive product range and an operating model leveraging existing infrastructure throughout the country. It is with these resources that we want to gain new market share in the sector, through careful monitoring and a comprehensive offer that is able to respond to our customers’ wide-ranging and growing needs for protection”.
 

The effectiveness of the transaction is subject to the issuance of authorisations by the relevant authorities. 

^{*BCC : Banche di Credito Cooperativo}

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