Hello bank! is a digital
direct bank A direct bank (sometimes called a branch-less bank or virtual bank) is a bank that offers its services only via the Internet, email, and other electronic means, often including telephone, online chat, and mobile check deposit. A direct bank has no ...
owned by
BNP Paribas that started operations in 2013. The bank operates in France, Belgium, Germany (using the name Consorsbank), Italy, the Czech Republic and Austria. BNP Paribas has claimed that it is "the first 100% digital mobile bank in Europe".
History
The project was first discussed in 2012 and the bank was launched in Belgium and Germany on 16 May 2013, in France on 17 June 2013 and in Italy on 28 October 2013. On 13 February 2014 the bank announced that they had reached 177,000 customers at the end of 2013.
At the end of 2014 the customers in Germany, Belgium, France and Italy reached 791,000.
Hello bank! launched in Austria on 1 August 2015. At the end of 2015 the customers of Hello bank! in all 5 markets reached 2.4 million.
At the end of 2016 Hello bank! had 2.5 million customers across its 5 markets, with more than 1.5 million in Germany and 480 thousand in Belgium.
In May 2017 Czech BNP Paribas Personal Finance SA, o.z. announced re-branding. New brand Hello bank! has replaced Cetelem trademark. At the end of 2017 Hello bank! had 2.9 million customers across its 5 original markets (excluding the Czech Republic), with 350 thousand in France.
In July 2021 the Austrian Bank
BAWAG P.S.K. acquired Hello Bank! Austria for 23 million Euro and renamed it May 2022 to "
Easybank".
Activities
Hello bank! offers the following products and services:
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Banking
A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets.
Becau ...
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Brokerage
A broker is a person or firm who arranges transactions between a buyer and a seller for a commission when the deal is executed. A broker who also acts as a seller or as a buyer becomes a principal party to the deal. Neither role should be con ...
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Insurance
Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...
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Loans
In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that de ...
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Savings
Wealth is the abundance of valuable financial assets or physical possessions which can be converted into a form that can be used for transactions. This includes the core meaning as held in the originating Old English word , which is from an ...
The bank is supported through different BNP Paribas retail banking subsidiaries where they exist; these are:
BNP Paribas in France,
BNL in Italy,
BNP Paribas Fortis
BNP Paribas Fortis is an international bank based in Belgium and is a subsidiary of BNP Paribas. It was formerly, together with Fortis Bank Nederland, the banking arm of the financial institution Fortis. After the ultimately unsuccessful ABN-AMRO ...
in Belgium. BNP Paribas, BNL and BNP Paribas Fortis branches can be used to deposit checks or to withdraw money in these countries.
In Austria, Hello bank! operates its own network of branches.
In Belgium Hello bank! was one of the first three banks (along with BNP Paribas Fortis) to launch Google Pay in the country.
In Germany the local subsidiary of Hello bank! uses the brand name
Consorsbank
Consorsbank is a brand of ''BNP Paribas S.A. Niederlassung Deutschland'' with its seat in Nürnberg.
Activities
As a direct bank, Consorsbank offers its full range of products online.
They include a current account, with two free debit card ...
, but the logo and the brand colors are very similar to those used in the rest of the markets. In November 2016 it absorbed DAB Bank that BNP Paribas had acquired in 2014, with all customer accounts being transferred to Consorsbank.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hello bank
BNP Paribas
French companies established in 2013