Hello bank!
{{short description|European online bank}}
{{use dmy dates |date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Hello bank!
| logo =
| logo_size = 120
| type =
| foundation = 2013
| location = Paris
| industry = {{Unbulleted list|Bank|Insurance}}
| products = {{Unbulleted list|Credit cards| Mortgages
Loans|Savings|}}
| parent = BNP Paribas
| homepage = {{URL|http://www.hellobank.com/}}
| revenue =
}}
Hello bank! is a digital direct bank 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.capital.fr/bourse/valeur-du-jour/bnp-paribas-une-banque-solide-et-dynamique-achetez-753527 |title=BNP Paribas : Une banque solide et dynamique, achetez |language=fr |publisher=Capital.fr |date=2003-01-08 |access-date=2014-07-17}} BNP Paribas has claimed that it is "the first 100% digital mobile bank in Europe".{{cite news|title=The first 100% mobile bank in Europe|url=http://www.bnpparibas.com/en/news/hello-bank-first-100-digital-mobile-bank-europe|newspaper=BNP Paribas|access-date=8 December 2014}}
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.{{cite news |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2013/05/16/bnp-paribas-lance-sa-banque-100-digitale_3260571_3234.html |title=BNP Paribas lance sa banque 100 % digitale |last1=Michel |first1=Anne |newspaper=Le Monde |date=2015-05-16 |access-date=5 November 2024 }} On 13 February 2014 the bank announced that they had reached 177,000 customers at the end of 2013.{{cite news |url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-eco/2014/02/13/97002-20140213FILWWW00122-hello-bank-comptait-177000-clients-fin-2013.php |title=Hello bank! had end 177,000 customers at the end of 2013 |language=French |publisher=Le Figaro |date=Feb 13, 2014 }}
At the end of 2014 the customers in Germany, Belgium, France and Italy reached 791,000.{{cite web |url=https://newsroom.bnpparibasfortis.com/en/library/press_release/hello-bank-is-celebrating-its-first-anniversary-with-very-positive-results |title=Welcome |publisher=Newsroom BNP Paribas Fortis |access-date=2018-05-22 |archive-date=2017-12-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207192711/https://newsroom.bnpparibasfortis.com/en/library/press_release/hello-bank-is-celebrating-its-first-anniversary-with-very-positive-results |url-status=dead }}
Hello bank! launched in Austria on 1 August 2015.{{cite web |url=http://wirtschaftsblatt.at/home/nachrichten/newsletter/4778686/Direktanlageat-wird-zu-Hello-Bank |title=Direktanlage.at wird zu Hello Bank! |last1=Haider |first1=Manfred |date=2015-07-18 |website= |publisher= |access-date= |quote=}} At the end of 2015 the customers of Hello bank! in all 5 markets reached 2.4 million.{{Cite web|url=https://invest.bnpparibas.com/documents/4q15-slides|title=Recherche & Documentation | Actionnaires & Investisseurs | Banque BNP Paribas}}
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.{{Cite web|url=https://invest.bnpparibas.com/documents/4q16-slides|title=Recherche & Documentation | Actionnaires & Investisseurs | Banque BNP Paribas}}
In May 2017 Czech BNP Paribas Personal Finance SA, o.z. announced re-branding. New brand Hello bank! has replaced Cetelem trademark.{{cite web|title=Cetelem se brzy změní na Hello bank!|url=https://www.hellobank.cz/transformace/|language=cs|website=Hello bank!|access-date=25 May 2021}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://invest.bnpparibas.com/documents/4q17-slides|title=Recherche & Documentation | Actionnaires & Investisseurs | Banque BNP Paribas}}
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".{{cite web | url=https://www.diepresse.com/6131121/aus-hello-bank-wird-easybank?from=rss | title=Aus Hello Bank wird Easybank | date=26 April 2022 }}
In March 2023 Czech branch of Hello Bank announced that it cease all activities in Czech Republic and will withdraw from the country. All offices was closed in less than a month. In April 2023 Hello bank had only one functioning office in Prague, Czech Republic. Later on in early May 2023 all Czech clients of Hello Bank was informed by e-mail for upcoming closing of their accounts by July 2023.
Activities
Hello bank! offers the following products and services:
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 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.hellobank.at/c/filialen/wien.aspx|title=Filiale Wien - Hello bank!|website=www.hellobank.at|access-date=22 May 2018}}
In Belgium Hello bank! was one of the first three banks (along with BNP Paribas Fortis) to launch Google Pay in the country.{{cite web|url=https://blog.google/topics/shopping-payments/belgium-meet-android-pay/|title=Belgium, Meet Android Pay|date=7 March 2017|access-date=22 May 2018}}
In Germany the local subsidiary of Hello bank! uses the brand name Consorsbank, 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,{{cite news|url=https://group.bnpparibas/en/press-release/dab-bank-acquisition-major-step-development-bnp-paribas-germany|title=DAB Bank acquisition : a major step in the development of BNP Paribas in Germany - BNP Paribas|newspaper=BNP Paribas|access-date=22 May 2018}} with all customer accounts being transferred to Consorsbank.{{cite web|url=http://www.finanzen.net/nachricht/aktien/Neue-Konditionen-BNP-Paribas-verschmilzt-DAB-Bank-mit-Consorsbank-5189753|title=BNP Paribas verschmilzt DAB Bank mit Consorsbank|access-date=22 May 2018}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.hellobank.com}}
{{Portal|Banks}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hello bank}}