Enjoying the thrill of sport, together

Banque Populaire, the bank of the world of sailing and surfing

For more than 30 years Banque Populaire has been the ‘Bank of sailing’ and, since 2020, the bank of the world of surfing. Through these two sports, Banque Populaire expresses its image as an audacious, dynamic, and high-performance bank, a sponsor that assumes the risks of its involvement in demanding competitive sports. In all fields of endeavor, Banque Populaire pursues with sports enthusiasts the same ambition it displays in favor of its customers: to help them on their way to success!

Banque Populaire is a Premium Partner of the Olympic & Paralympic Games Paris 2024.

Banque Populaire and sailing

Since 1989, Banque Populaire has been a consistently dependable partner of the world of sailing. A ship-owner and competitor itself, the bank has distinguished itself by entering exceptional boats in the world’s most legendary races and by supporting some of the most highly talented skippers of their generation.

Banque Populaire is also committed to building greater awareness of the quality of French sailing as a whole. For almost three decades, it has distinguished itself by providing unfailing support for sailing clubs, sailing schools, and the French national team through its partnership with the French Sailing Federation. This has enabled it to help develop this sport at all regional and national levels, and to promote all the different ways of practicing this sport from initial discovery to high-level competitions. 

Banque Populaire is also proud to have been, since 2003, a sponsor of the Eric Tabarly Association, which was recognized of public utility in 2023. The association has taken concrete steps to preserve France’s sailing heritage and to maintain the seaworthiness of the Pen Duick, the fleet of ocean racing yachts sailed by France’s most celebrated yachtsman Eric Tabarly.

Team Banque Populaire, a winning side!

The most successful sailing sponsor in the world, Banque Populaire, with its skippers and racing yachts, has triumphed in the world’s most prestigious races. To name but a few:  the Transat Jacques-Vabre in 2005 with Pascal Bidégorry and Lionel Lemonchois, the Jules Verne Trophy in 2012, and the Route du Rhum in 2014 with Loïck Peyron, the Vendée Globe with Armel Le Cléac’h in 2017, and the Solitaire du Figaro in 2020, once again with Armel Le Cléac’h at the helm.

In May 2023, Banque Populaire took on board Corentin Horeau, then 1^st overall in the Figaro Class. During his first race under the colors of Banque Populaire, Corentin Horeau won the major race Solo Guy Cotten-Concarneau, a perfect preparation for the goal of the season: the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec (27 August – 14 September 2023).

Today, the flagship of the fleet is the Maxi Banque Populaire XI, a jewel of high technology and innovation measuring 32 meters from prow to stern and 23 meters in width. After completing her maiden voyage in May 2021, this giant of the seas will soon set sail with her skipper Armel Le Cléac’h who is currently preparing for some of the most thrilling sailing adventures on the seas around the world.

The Banque Populaire is also…

• The builder of 6 multi-hull vessels, including the largest ocean-going racing trimaran ever built,
• 4 around-the-world races,
• 18 crewed and single-handed ocean sailing records,
• More than 40 participations in the world’s largest ocean races including 3 Vendée Globe, 7 Routes du Rhum, and 12 Transat Jacques Vabre races,
•  42 Atlantic crossings,
• The owner of 12 racing yachts.

For the greater glory of French sailing

Banque Populaire is also committed to the promotion of French sailing, fostering the development of sailing clubs and schools, and has been supporting the French sailing team for 20 years.

• 55,000 lifejackets, 6,000 boats or sails, and 160,000 items of sportswear jointly financed through a partnership between Banque Populaire and the French Sailing Federation (FFVoile)
• Support for 1,500 sailing clubs and schools.

Banque Populaire and surfing

The same passion, the same natural environment for Banque Populaire! Just like sailing, surfing rewards individuals possessing an entrepreneurial spirit: a keen sense of observing their environment, anticipating actions taken by others, the mastery of innovation in the face of the elements, a quest for performance, and a thirst for success. Since 2020, Banque Populaire has been a principal partner of the French Surfing Federation. 

Here again, the objective is clear: to support this sport at every national and regional level, to accompany the success of all surfing enthusiasts, and to glide serenely up to the next Olympic Games where competitions in this discipline will be organized for the second time. 

Banque Populaire is accompanying the national French surfing team and supports all types of surfing variants such as longboard surfing and stand-up paddle racing. It is also associated with a flagship event organized by the French Surfing Federation (FFSurf): the French Open shortboard circuit (Olympic support), now known as the ‘Banque Populaire Surf Tour.’

It also helps develop the structures of the French Surf School label, which trains and supports young people until they reveal their full potential. Banque Populaire also sponsors the actions of FFSurf aimed, in particular, at limiting the number of deaths by drowning within the framework of the Aisance Aquatique (‘At ease in the water’) water safety plan. Every year, 65,000 people start surfing and receive training in first aid procedures in the marine environment.

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For the Caisse d’Epargne, several passions

From the moment of its creation, the Caisse d’Epargne has been pursuing its corporate mission of being useful to all without, however, ever losing sight of the collective interest, a calling that also finds expression in the savings bank’s commitment to sport. 

Already a major partner of handball and basketball in France, the bank launched the Pacte Utile Caisse d’Epargne (Caisse d’Epargne Useful Pact) in 2021, an engagement program forming part of its partnership with the Olympic & Paralympic Games Paris 2024 and designed to make the Games useful to all: to the athletes, to society at large, and to local and regional France.

Basketball and handball

The Caisse d’Epargne supports two team sports that are extremely popular in France: basketball and handball. A partner of the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) since the summer of 2014 and of the French Handball Federation (FFHandball) since January 2015, it supports the French national men’s and women’s teams in these two sports. In 2019, the Caisse d’Epargne also became a partner of 3×3 basketball.

The incredible track record of French handball

With its support of the French national men’s and women’s teams, youth teams, and the Maison du Handball center dedicated to this sport, the Caisse d’Epargne has been a major partner of the French Handball Federation since 2015. 

The French men’s and women’s handball teams together boast an unrivaled track record of 18 medals, including 8 world titles and 2 incredible gold medals in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 won by both the men’s and women’s teams!

The 15 regional Caisses d’Epargne also sponsor a large number of professional and amateur clubs throughout France.

This commitment is also highlighted on social networks with Esprit Handball Caisse d’Epargne.

Outstanding results for French basketball

A partner of the French national women’s, men’s and youth basketball teams since 2014, the Caisse d’Epargne committed itself in 2019 to the promotion of 3×3 basketball, a sport that became an Olympic discipline in 2021. 

In 5×5 basketball, the French basketball teams rank among the world’s top teams winning medals in European and World championships. For the men’s team, the latest achievement was a fantastic silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics. The French women’s team boasts an equally impressive set of results in European and World competitions with, in particular, a bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics (after claiming silver in London in 2012).

In 3×3 basketball, the Caisse d’Epargne is fostering the development of this promising discipline. The savings bank has become a partner of the ‘FFBB 3×3 Superleague,’ the first national competition to bring together the elite of this discipline in France. 
The French national 3×3 basketball teams  – also supported by the Caisse d’Epargne – boast a similarly remarkable record of achievement: the women’s team made history when they were crowned World champions in 2022 after becoming European champions in 2019. The men also reached the podium in the World Championships in 2022 (3^rd ranking) after being European runners-up in 2019.

You can find all the latest news about basketball on Esprit Basket Caisse d’Epargne.

Pacte Utile (Useful Pact) 

Through the Pacte Utile, the Caisse d’Epargne is contributing to the legacy of the Olympic & Paralympic Games Paris 2024, with a strong commitment to providing sports facilities in the regions. It encourages the practice of sport for all, with a view to fostering greater inclusion, and promotes sport as a lever for transforming society and as a factor in personal growth. 

The results have been extremely impressive since 2021, with 130 societal actions awarded the Pacte Utile label, 65 basketball courts renovated or created from scratch, and 67 athletes supported in the heart of the regions and it isn’t over yet!

Thanks to all its different commitments, the Caisse d’Epargne has made it possible to strengthen social ties and unite people around sport throughout France while simultaneously contributing to the legacy of the Olympic & Paralympic Games Paris 2024.

Partner of 2 sports federations (handball & basketball)

Support for 70 individual athletes

65 basketball courts renovated or created

We share the fortitude of rugby with Natixis

Natixis, which has been partnering the Racing 92 rugby club since 2007, has supported the Ile-de-France team over the years as it progressed to the very top of the French and European championships. In 2019, Natixis decided to renew its partnership with the players in sky-blue and white jerseys for a further three years. 

Because rugby is a powerful tool for teaching values and promoting social diversity, Natixis is supporting the educational projects of three Racing 92 rugby schools (RCF Colombes, Racing-Plessis-Robinson and Racing-Nanterre) to train young talent and instill the values of teamwork and sport in the youngest members of society. 

Natixis has also decided to become the sole sponsor of the recently created Racing 92 seven-a-side rugby team. This new sponsorship agreement dovetails naturally with our partnership with Paris 2024 given that seven-a-side rugby is an Olympic sport. 

More than merely sponsoring rugby, however, Natixis has chosen to support a team and a club and, as such, to prolong its long-standing partnership with Racing 92: a partnership based on close, person-to-person exchanges and a unique opportunity to support the training of young players with a view to the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.

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