LCL Launches a Fully Digital Banking Offer for Professionals
LCL announced on Monday the launch of L by LCL Pro, a 100% online banking offer aimed at entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small businesses. According to the press release, the bank thus becomes the first French institution to offer its professional clients the choice between a fully digital service and in-branch support.
Adapting to the French Entrepreneurial Landscape
The group justifies this launch by the evolution of the French entrepreneurial landscape. According to the press release, the number of business creations has quadrupled since 2010, while 27% of professional account openings now take place through digital channels. The L by LCL Pro offer allows professionals to manage all their banking operations online, with an account opening process that takes just ten minutes according to the company. It includes a professional account, both physical and virtual business cards, an electronic invoicing management solution developed by Kolecto, a subsidiary of Crédit Agricole Group, as well as a set of insurances. All these services are accessible via a mobile app. Additionally, LCL offers all its professional clients the Entrepreneur Portal, an online business creation service, and the Kolecto e-invoicing solution, regardless of the type of offer chosen.
Two Options for Professional Clients
LCL's professional clients now have two options. L by LCL Pro, the digital offer, is priced at 9 euros per month, or free for LCL individual clients according to the press release. It guarantees total autonomy with remote customer service. The LCL à la carte offer, on the other hand, provides access to a branch, a dedicated advisor, and the full expertise of the bank for complex needs, with customized pricing. According to Serge Magdeleine, CEO of LCL, quoted in the press release, the bank rejects the opposition between digital and human and allows clients to switch between options depending on the evolution of their needs. The company aims to meet the expectations of entrepreneurs who seek both digital autonomy for daily operations and human advice for significant decisions.
Developing the Offer on a New Infrastructure
To develop this offer, LCL built L by LCL Pro on an entirely new infrastructure, both IT and operational, while integrating it into the existing bank, the press release states. According to Simon Parisot, director of the digital pro bank program, quoted in the document, this modern architecture aims to provide the necessary agility to innovate while allowing clients to benefit from the banking license and, eventually, from credit expertise and the full range of LCL products. The company specifies that this 100% online model is intended to be extended later to individual clients. LCL, a subsidiary of Crédit Agricole S.A., serves 6 million individual clients, 400,000 professionals, and 31,000 corporate and institutional clients, with a network of 1,400 branches.
