Nickel passed the 2 million customer milestone and will accelerate the deployment of its local network across Europe.
The top neobank in France, NiCKEL, announced they have finally reached 2 million accounts opened. Building on its popular success, NiCKEL is consolidating its status as the third largest current account distribution network in France, with more than 6,000 active points of sale to date. This accomplishment once again validates the relevance of its unique model focused on proximity.
Proof of its strong dynamism, NiCKEL has opened around 40,000 accounts per month on average over the last six months, surpassing the symbolic 2 million customer mark in France at the end of March 2021. The enthusiasm for its local banking offer has enabled NiCKEL to meet the milestone objectives defined in its strategic plan, which aims for 4 million customers in France by 2024.
With the support of the National Confederation of Tobacco Bureaus, a long-standing partner that maintains a 5% stake, NiCKEL continues to expand its distribution network. The neobank recently reached the milestone of 6,000 operational points of sale: the tobacco vendors in France and “Nickel Points” available in local shops in overseas departments. NiCKEL aims to reach 10,000 points of sale in France by 2024.
With the support of the National Confederation of Tobacco Bureaus, a long-standing partner that maintains a 5% stake, NiCKEL continues to expand its distribution network. The neobank recently reached the milestone of 6,000 operational points of sale: the tobacco vendors in France and “Nickel Points” available in local shops in overseas departments. NiCKEL aims to reach 10,000 points of sale in France by 2024.
“The threshold of 2 million customers was an important step in our development plan and we are very proud to have reached this milestone. Thanks to the expansion of our regional network, in both urban and rural areas, we aspire to double this figure for France by 2024. More than ever, we believe in the relevance of our service for consumers seeking proximity and flexibility and transparency in an uncertain economic context linked to the health crisis. These trends are set to take hold in Europe and we remain convinced that our simple and universal value proposition will continue to be successful, "said Marie Degrand-Guillaud, Deputy Director of NiCKEL.
Also present in Spain since the end of 2020, NiCKEL aspires to become the European leader in proximity current accounts, by establishing itself in six new countries by 2024. An operational deployment in Belgium and Portugal is planned for early 2022. To execute its international development plans, NiCKEL will remain faithful to the strategy that has made it successful so far and will pursue a local approach in each new country with dedicated teams on site. In Spain, NiCKEL has already opened 400 points of sale.
Founded in 2014 on core values of utility, simplicity, universality and goodwill, NiCKEL has grown exponentially. A flagship of French fintech, the neobank has remained faithful to its initial value proposition, that of being easily accessible to all, relying on both digital and physical proximity. Now mature, its business model has proven itself and continues to meet the needs of a growing number of customers, even during times where movement restrictions are in place.
As a symbol of its strong growth, NiCKEL celebrated the opening of its millionth account in a bar-tabac in Landes in August 2018 and had more than 1.5 million customers at the end of 2019. It has been profitable since 2018 and generated 62 million euros in net banking income (NBI) in 2019. Efma member BNP Paribas has been the majority shareholder of NiCKEL since 2017.
