OWN On the eve of the International Day Against Violence Against Women, La Banque Postale, this Monday, November 24, extended a discreet but firm system to its 3,000 offices: allowing women victims of economic violence to immediately create a personal bank account, in less than 24 hours and with the strictest confidentiality.
Post Bank intends, through this system, to offer a window of freedom. “Our presence locally is an advantage, it will be easier for women to come to the post office, a neutral place that we can go to for reasons other than opening a bank account,” he stressed. Paris Vanessa Ly, director of vulnerable clients.
This initiative, which has been tested since the beginning of this year in around thirty offices, shows the magnitude of the need that exists. “Around 150 people have benefited from this quick action. And today, we record the opening of one account per office per month,” explained the manager.
A safety net… at a cost
Often accompanied by officers in the field, victims can request account openings with a simple certificate of accommodation provided by an association, in lieu of proof of address, which is invaluable but often inaccessible. “Our system was built together with national associative players such as the National Federation of Women’s and Family Rights Information Centers (CIDFF). Accompanied by an association allows women to benefit from accommodation certificates (…) This document and their identity card are enough to start opening within a maximum of 24 hours,” the banker assured.
To find
Kangaroo today
Answer
The only downside: cost. In contrast to other competing initiatives, this offer has a fee, a minimum of 2.60 euros per month, or 1 euro for women in fragile financial situations. Participation is simple but discussed symbolically, while other companies play a temporary free card.
However, this initiative does not stand alone. Bretagne Pays de la Loire Savings Bank launched a similar offer in March 2024, free for two years, before the Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale followed suit in July, then offering the formula free for the first year.
