Groupe BPCE and La Banque Postale have been continuing their discussions on the various aspects of the expanded business partnership between the two groups, announced in June 2019. The agreements concerning CNP Assurances (extension of commercial agreements and shareholders’ agreement) were signed and the main terms of the contemplated combination of asset management activities have been defined.
Creation of a major asset management player in Europe
Natixis and La Banque Postale have set out the main principles and conditions of the contemplated combination of some of their asset management operations in France.
This contemplated combination will be presented to the relevant staff representative bodies during the first quarter of 2020. The objective is to implement the transaction during the second half of 2020.
The contemplated project aims to combine within Ostrum Asset Management the euro fixed-income and credit activities and expertise, as well as the insurance-related asset management businesses of Ostrum Asset Management and La Banque Postale Asset Management, thereby combining around €435 billion in assets under management (based on figures at June 30, 2019), with the ambition to be fully compliant with socially responsible investing (SRI) principles.
This joint entity will also benefit from a cutting-edge technology and operating platform, allowing it to offer a wide range of services to the two groups’ large long-term insurance partners as well as third-party clients, notably in the insurance industry.
La Banque Postale, via its subsidiary La Banque Postale Asset Management, 70%-owned alongside minority shareholders, will continue to develop a business model based on multi-specialist management.
The joint entity would be 55%-owned by Natixis (via its subsidiary Natixis Investment Managers) and 45%-owned by La Banque Postale (via its subsidiary La Banque Postale Asset Management), with a balanced governance structure.
Philippe Setbon, currently Chief Executive Officer at Ostrum Asset Management, would manage the joint entity as CEO. Emmanuelle Mourey, currently Chairman of the Management Board at La Banque Postale Asset Management, would be Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the joint entity.
Agreements with CNP Assurances
Groupe BPCE and CNP Assurances today signed agreements, effective from January 1, 2020, to extend the agreements entered into in 2015 between BPCE/Natixis and CNP Assurances (credit insurance, collective savings and health products in particular) from December 31, 2022 to December 31, 2030, thereby supporting the multi-partnership model of CNP Assurances.
These agreements include the change in the credit insurance coinsurance allocation to 50-50% between Natixis Assurances (BPCE Vie and BPCE Prévoyance) and CNP Assurances, and reinsurance by CNP Assurances of 34% of individual borrowers’ insurance underwritten by BPCE Vie.
Shareholders’ agreement regarding CNP Assurances
Concomitantly with the combination of CNP Assurances and La Banque Postale scheduled for early January 2020, and following the termination in late June 2019 by La Banque Postale of the current shareholders’ agreement relating to CNP Assurances that expires on December 31, 2019, BPCE and La Banque Postale have entered into a new shareholders’ agreement as shareholders of CNP Assurances (with respective stakes of 16.11% and 62.13%). This new shareholders’ agreement will be in force until end-2030.
With two directors, Groupe BPCE will remain represented in the Board of Directors of CNP Assurances and its specific committees.