Illustration of an ATM machine.

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Fred TANNEAU

  • A study published on Tuesday sheds light on the perception that French people have of banks.

  • The Covid-19 crisis has instead reinforced the confidence of respondents in banking institutions.

  • And contactless payment confirms its democratization.

Harshly criticized in 2008 for their responsibility in the economic crisis, would banks be redeeming themselves from the public with the coronavirus?

In any case, this is what the second edition of the Ifop survey “The French, their bank, their expectations” * published on Tuesday tends to show.

Commissioned by the French Banking Federation (FBF), it draws up a fairly broad inventory of the relationship between citizens and their banking establishments.

The first observation is that the banks have not seen their image destabilized by the pandemic.

When asked about “their” bank, “their” agency, or “their” advisor, the French are each time the ultra-majority (over 85%) to consider that their establishments have a “good image” in their eyes. .

On the other hand, the perception of banks "in general" is less good: only 61% of French people have a good image.

Savings management

This attachment to “their” banks is reflected in the confidence that the French place in them when it comes to managing their accounts.

Compared to 2018, the year of the first Ifop survey, this confidence has even risen sharply, as shown in the graph below:

Bank reliability by

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How to explain such an increase?

"Our action is more visible than in normal times", comments Philippe Brassac, boss of the FBF.

Understand: the French are aware of the role of banks in times of crisis and are more attentive to the way their money is managed.

An acceleration more than a revolution

They are therefore more attentive, but also more inclined to use new means of payment, and in particular contactless.

This device has experienced rapid progress in 2020. It was boosted by health recommendations - avoid handling coins or banknotes to respect barrier gestures - and ease of use: many businesses have converted to it and banks have raised the contactless payment limit from 30 to 50 euros.

In total, according to Ifop, 71% of French people "pay more without contact" than before the crisis.

"The Covid has only accentuated the changes that were already at work before 2020" notes Frédéric Dabi, deputy director of Ifop.

New payment methods by

20 Minutes

Finally, the coronavirus has accelerated the use of digital tools.

According to the study, 66% of French people have at least one banking application on their smartphone (+10 points compared to 2018).

And 34% of respondents explain that the crisis has pushed them to consult their application "more frequently", perhaps to monitor their balance.

This widespread digitization - 81% of French people consult their bank's website at least once a month - does not prevent the persistence of “bad practices” as defined in the study.

These are actions that can endanger personal data.

As shown in the graph below, a significant proportion of respondents have already sent their bank details by email to a loved one.

Risky Practices for Personal Data by

20 Minutes

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* Survey conducted from October 27 to November 4, 2020 with a sample of 4,009 people, representative of the French population aged 18 and over.

The representativeness of the sample was ensured by the quota method (sex, age, profession of the interviewee).

  • Coronavirus

  • Economy

  • Bank

  • Survey

  • Saving