This important step, run within schedule, forms part of the bank's major transformation programme: NICE (Nouvelle Informatique Convergente et Évolutive / New Convergent and Scalable Information Technology).

Launched in 2008 by Crédit Agricole, NICE is the most ambitious programme for the transformation of European banking to be attempted this decade. Its aim was to carry out the migration of the 39 regional banks within three and a half years, replacing the 5 different regional information systems and switching over to a single, innovative and customer-oriented information system, impacting 70,000 users and 21 million individual customers. Responding to concerns regarding the harmonisation and rationalisation of the systems, NICE should facilitate Crédit Agricole's transformation into a multi-channel bank and strengthen its ability to respond to the needs of customers within the various regions of France, while maintaining flexibility and versatility in order to adapt quickly to market changes.

GIE (Groupement d'intérêt économique / Economic Interest Group) Crédit Agricole Technologies chose Sopra to assist it with the implementation of the programme, based on the group's expertise and experience within the banking sector and its capacity to produce structural software package components for the development of the IS, all while remaining consistent with the existing system.

Sopra responded with its entire value proposition, successfully coordinating its entities Sopra Consulting and Sopra Banking Software, as well as its regional agencies, in a concerted effort that required more than 300 employees to respond to the greatest challenge in its corporate history.

Within a digital environment that is transforming the manner in which companies approach Customer Service, Sopra shared, with Crédit Agricole and the other players dedicated to the project, its vision regarding the bank of the future and the new technologies to be put into use in service of both customer and banking advisor, in order to keep up with new trends and to facilitate exchange.

Alongside these developments, Sopra participated in the industrialisation and migration of the 39 regional banks to a single IS (NICE), providing on-site assistance to the regional banks with regard to the changes implemented and the appropriation of this new tool.

Hichem JABALLAH, CEO of Crédit Agricole Technologies and director of the NICE programme, explained: "Having been a partner to Crédit Agricole for many years, Sopra has helped us throughout this huge project, demonstrating the skills and professionalism that we have come to expect from them. We have indeed benefited from their extensive experience in IT migration projects, but also from their extremely high level of flexibility. Adjustments have often been necessary and the Sopra teams have been able to respond to these adjustments, whether at an operational level or with regard to resources. I would like to sincerely thank them for having participated with us in this wonderful project".

Alain BEDOS, Crédit Agricole Account Director within Sopra, added: "All of the Sopra business units are more than familiar with Crédit Agricole. Being able to capitalise on our knowledge has thus been an undeniable asset. However, teamwork was at least as crucial to this challenge as know-how and expertise, since it involved managing multi-disciplinary teams over a long period of time within the context of a highly demanding and risky project. In this respect, our strong on-site presence in the various regions, our commitment and also our cultural proximity to Crédit Agricole, one of our main clients within the banking sector, have been greatly beneficial to us".