The 12th edition of the BNP Paribas Cardif Symposium took place in Paris, on May 30th and June 1st 2023.  

This event brought together BNP Paribas Cardif’s main international partners in order to continue to cultivate our close relationship and to discuss the major trends that will impact insurance and the different business sectors of our distribution partners in the years to come.

This year, design was the key topic. Beyond its classic definition, today, design is also considered as a method, a process, a state of mind that can be transposed within companies, and a new vision of the future, making it possible to achieve specific objectives or solve complex problems.

Inspiring keynotes

During two days, various experts gave our partners their vision of design and of its importance within companies.

Design 2025 
Eric Lombard, CEO Caisse des Dépôts

Designing the future is about designing sustainably and collectively, with engaged and assertive people, limiting negative environmental impacts while ensuring inclusive growth. Because cooperation outperforms competition.

Design for excellence and performance
Toni Nadal, Head of the Rafa Nadal Academy

When one has reached a high level, technology can help in taking the next step. These improvements can make a real difference. And when it comes to business, technology is not the ultimate solution to design excellence and performance, but resilience to approach and overcome extreme situations is. 

Design, an antidote to optimise under constraints 
Maurice Conti, Futurist

Design can actually be a super power to solve very difficult problems under extreme constraints in business.

Design for sustainability
Suzanne Lee, Founder & CEO, BIOFABRICATE

Design is a catalyst for innovation, pushing each of us to see the future through a different lens, which may entirely change your assumptions and inspire you to do things differently.

Experiences around AI and gaming

In order to better understand the value of design, our partners were invited to discover several experiences and solutions designed around gaming and artificial intelligence, developed by the Cardif Lab’ and Data Lab teams from BNP Paribas Cardif.

Date with your virtual assistants

In the future, financial product distribution will be affected by generative AI. Powerful AI assistants will be available to everyone on their devices, providing simple, structured and personalised information on any complex product or topic.
 
Play your life / Protect Safe Haven

Gaming has become an important part of everyday life. It can also be used as a learning tool. Here, for example, our partners were invited to test playing to better understand different items of insurance.

Create your own fashion line

Generative #AI will produce big changes in the way of making business. Some industries are already experimenting this revolution. 

The BNP Paribas Cardif Symposium once again brought together diverse minds across different backgrounds, creating a melting pot of expertise and new perspectives, as well as a dynamic platform for engaging discussions, stimulating presentations, and fruitful networking opportunities.

Leading refurbishing marketplace Back Market alongside insurer BNP Paribas Cardif and insurtech bolttech today announced the Re.Purpose Careers training program dedicated to the repair and refurbishing industry. This initiative affirms Back Market´s commitment to the professional integration and upskilling of the unemployed in a fast-growing sector, and follows the French Government’s announcement that it will be doubling device “repair bonus” in July 2023, to encourage consumers to repair their devices rather than buying new ones.

Seizing the opportunities in the repair sector

The training and recruitment of technicians is vital to the repair industry, which currently has a challenge of meeting growing customer needs and reaching the government set goal of 500,000 repairs by the end of 2023. In response to this challenge Back Market has joined forces with BNP Paribas Cardif and bolttech to launch Re.Purpose Careers, a training program open to all with no cost to the individual with an aim of training around 100 technicians by the end of 2023 in electronic appliance repair and reconditioning techniques. The program is offered in conjunction with the CFA Ducretet training organization who will support the upskilling and training of candidates.

In support of this program, Back Market, BNP Paribas Cardif and bolttech are donating €1 to the CFA Ducretet network for every purchase of refurbished mobile device insurance, which protects against everyday risks such as breakage, oxidation, or theft. €120,000 has been donated to the training organization in 2022.

“The refurbished market is estimated to be worth over 80 billion dollars, and it is growing exponentially every year. Repair professions are essential to the future, as we move away from a linear economy, where job opportunities are set to multiply. We are very proud to be supporting the training of the repairers of tomorrow, so that we can help our partner merchants to find more talented people!”, states Nathanaël Berbessou, Chief Executive Officer of Back Market en France.

“We are proud to help train people in repairing household appliances or personal devices. This solidarity-based initiative, which is part of a virtuous approach grounded on the circular economy, is in line with our ambition to make our offers more inclusive and accessible”, says Baptiste Auffret, Head of Affinity Partnerships at BNP Paribas Cardif.

“At bolttech we truly see the value of the circular economy, and so we are proud to be part of such a worthy initiative to help provide opportunities for the future talent of the repair industry. We are continually looking for ways to meet the needs of our customers and ensure accessibility for all, and this project is a great example of how we work with our partners to achieve this goal”, declares Jens Schaedler, Chief Executive Officer, bolttech Europe

Re.Purpose Careers, a successful job placement program

Following success of the first wave of training courses held in January, the group recently conducted a second wave of training, which started on June 14, with a session dedicated to mobile devices. The training courses, which last between 5-10 weeks, will enable each candidate to obtain the skill sets necessary to integrate into the professional world.
The first sessions at the beginning of the year saw 20 participants completing their training and successfully finding employment.

“The training program I’ve just completed has enabled me to discover the profession of household appliance technician. This five-week program took away the doubts I previously had and gave me confidence in the next stage of my professional career, in which I’m now pursuing a job with a brand specializing in household equipment!” shares David Akono Amara, a trainee from the CFA  Ducretet.

Initially launched in the Île-de-France region, the program plans to expand into the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region from September, New Aquitaine in early 2024, while also extending the training to cover other types of devices.

In France, just under one third of businesses in France were created by women in 2022¹. 

On the whole, women are more reluctant than men to become entrepreneurs. Clémentine Piazza chose to embark on the adventure. Find out more about the founder of inmemori, a company supported by the C.development fund of BNP Paribas Cardif.

Clémentine Piazza, you’re the founder of the growing company inmemori. So to get to know you better, could you tell us a bit more about your background?

After finishing my studies at HEC, I began my career at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, world leader in commercial real estate. I held various different positions there, which led me to become the youngest Marketing Director for a CAC 40 group.

Could you tell us what made you start out on your entrepreneurial adventure, and how inmemori came about?

I always knew that I wanted to become an entrepreneur, so I could actively contribute towards a more united society. 
A friend of mine was hit by the loss of a loved one, and I supported her throughout that very difficult time. I was shocked by the amount that needed to be done, and the stress of organising the funeral.

That’s why I set up inmemori, an online tribute service and funeral company, whose role is to bring relief to grieving families, and provide them with meaningful and comforting funerals.

If you had to define your greatest victory, what would that be? 

Having such a committed team! And in particular our supporting team, who organises the funerals for our families. I’m full of admiration for their strength and emotional courage. The families they work with are infinitely grateful for their support, their professionalism, and their human touch.

What challenges have you come up against? 

Being a woman is a huge asset in this business, because listening and empathy are at the very heart of supporting families. Of course there are lots of men who also do it very well. That’s reflected by the parity in each of our businesses, and is the key to our performance.

How has entrepreneurship changed your life?

Since creating inmemori, I’ve been driven on a daily basis by its mission and devoting all my energies to facilitating discussions about bereavement is a huge source of fulfilment. I just feel a sense of belonging, and I’m motivated every day to help our families.

In your opinion, what sort of actions would help women to start their own businesses, and what advice would you give them for getting started?

I think every leader should spend ten percent of their time advising tomorrow’s future leaders. Questioning, challenges and advice are your best allies on the route to entrepreneurship, and that means constantly listening to your customers, understanding them, and liking them, so as to truly meet their needs.

¹Women created 32.3% of companies in 2021, Coaching (lesechos.fr)
 

Home insurance is an essential pillar among the personal protection solutions used by French consumers. To meet the expectations of customers, in particular younger generations, BNP Paribas Cardif is partnering with Lemonade to offer renters insurance.

This BtoC offer allows a simple and fluid client experience thanks to a 100% online policy subscription and claims submission process – all within seconds – on any device. Renters can buy an insurance policy online at cardif.fr or lemonade.com/fr and through the Lemonade app.

The insurance policy includes standard coverage such as damage to personal belongings within the insured home (fire, break and enter theft, windstorms, water damage, etc.) and personal liability coverage (damage to the property rented, as well as injury or damage caused to others). The insurance also includes special coverages adapted to the French market and locals’ needs:

• Coverage limits can be adjusted according to policyholders’ needs, with a single deductible amount chosen by them to ensure maximum transparency and simplicity.
• Coverage of personal items that have standalone value under €5,000, and the possibility to select extra coverage for high valuable items.
• 24/7 emergency assistance included.
• Worldwide coverage of property taken outside the home (for travels lasting less than 3 months).
• Add-on coverage against theft or glass breakage available for those who want extra protection.

This partnership comes within the framework of BNP Paribas Cardif’s strategic plan, which aims to leverage technology in order to enhance the customer experience, aligned with its core mission of making insurance more accessible. BNP Paribas Cardif will also be able to propose this fully-digital renters insurance to its distribution partners, and Lemonade will benefit from the deep experience of an insurer with a widely recognized brand that has been operating in the French market for 50 years.

“We are delighted to announce this collaboration with Lemonade, which is emblematic of our desire to continually innovate in forward-facing partnerships. We share a real commitment to combining the expertise of the two partners in order to facilitate access to insurance via digital channels while delivering top quality services for policyholders throughout the term of their insurance cover.”

Fabrice Bagne, BNP Paribas Cardif Deputy Chief Executive Officer, France and Luxembourg. 

“As a well-developed insurance market with millions of digitally-savvy renters, France continues to be an exciting opportunity and focus for us since launching in 2020. A renowned brand like BNP Paribas Cardif combined with Lemonade’s instant and transparent approach to insurance brings the best of both worlds to French residents looking for a seamless way to protect their things.”

Daniel Schreiber, co-CEO and co-founder of Lemonade. 

Risks are covered by both BNP Paribas Cardif and Lemonade, who act as co-insurers for this offer.

• Partnership will encompass corporate philanthropy to support medical research and accelerate discoveries leading to innovative therapeutic solutions
• Partnership will include sharing knowledge between BNP Paribas Cardif and Institut Imagine along with awareness initiatives 

BNP Paribas Cardif France today signed a philanthropy partnership with Institut Imagine (AP-HP, Inserm, Université Paris Cité), the leading European center for genetic disease research, care and education, based at the Necker-Enfants Malades children’s hospital. BNP Paribas Cardif becomes a “Benefactor” of Institut Imagine and will provide support for the institute’s Springboard program for the coming three years. Springboard is an accelerator for projects with significant potential of transfer to benefit patients, designed for the creation of startups working on genetic diseases. It aims to transform research results into innovations or diagnostic and therapeutic solutions.

The partners will share knowledge through meetings between teams from BNP Paribas Cardif and Institut Imagine (physicians, researchers, etc.) in order to discuss advances in research on genetic diseases, as well as the needs of families concerned. BNP Paribas Cardif will also pursue outreach initiatives among its staff, partners and policyholders to heighten awareness of genetic disorders and help reduce delays between the time initial symptoms are perceived and a precise diagnosis. These delays in diagnosis can reach several years, leading to treatments that are ill-adapted, as well as significant impact on the lives of the children and families concerned. 

Some 80% of rare diseases are genetic in origin¹, making this a major public health challenge. Some three million people are affected by these disorders in France². Joining the fight against genetic diseases is aligned with broader efforts by BNP Paribas Cardif to fulfill its mission to make insurance more accessible. The company has worked for more than a decade to facilitate access to insurance for vulnerable segments of the population. Hence, by taking into account medical advances regarding pathologies such as asthma, cardiac diseases, tetraplegia… The insurer is enabled to adjust both coverage offered and corresponding costs.  

The two key challenges in fighting genetic diseases are diagnosing the disorder as early as possible and proposing therapeutic approaches adapted to patients and their families to ensure optimal effectiveness. Institut Imagine is active in both areas thanks to its unique model, which brings together 1,000 doctors, researchers and caregivers, along with state-of-the-art technologies. The institute’s approach centers on the patients and their families with the over-arching goal of enabling a positive change in their lives. 

“As an insurer, BNP Paribas Cardif has a responsibility to engage in society and particularly in medical research. The work of Institut Imagine is remarkable and we are proud to be able to contribute to their research while updating our product and service offerings to better cover populations affected by rare diseases.”

Fabrice Bagne, BNP Paribas Cardif Deputy Chief Executive Officer, France and Luxembourg.

“Because we are committed to providing treatments for patients as rapidly as possible, we created a unique accelerator resource called Springboard, which is designed to fund and develop projects in order to launch them as full-fledged startups. We are delighted that BNP Paribas Cardif is supporting this innovative approach that will create value and change the lives of families affected by genetic diseases.”

Stanislas Lyonnet, Director of Institut Imagine.

_{¹ Source: French Ministry of Health and Prevention
² Source : French Ministry of Health and Prevention}

Founded in 2016, Igloo is a Singapore-based insurtech startup with full-stack capabilities to create and distribute innovative, high frequency, low premium digital insurance products. Igloo’s vision of ‘Insurance for All’ strongly echoes BNP Paribas Cardif’s mission to make insurance more accessible.

Since its creation, Igloo has been on a strong growth trajectory having consolidated partnerships with over 55 companies across 7 countries and over 15 products in its expanding product suite. It has facilitated over 300 million policies and increased gross written premiums by 30 times since 2019.

Based in Singapore, the insurtech Igloo has been making insurance accessible and affordable through data and technology in Southeast Asia.  The Company leverages big data, real-time risk assessment and end-to-end automated claims management to create  B2B2C insurance solutions for platform and insurance companies.

C.Entrepreneurs, the BNP Paribas Cardif fund managed by Cathay Innovation, invested in Igloo early 2020 for its Series A, and led the series B round in 2021. Igloo announced in December 2022 an additional US$27 million in its Series B extension, bringing a close to its Series B funding round at US$46 million. These 2 Series B rounds of investment comprised a consortium of impact investors including BlueOrchard, Women’s World Banking Asset Management (WAM), Finnfund, InsuResilience Investment Fund II La Maison, as well as Cathay Innovation, ACA and Openspace.

The latest funding round marks the confidence that investors have in the continued stellar performance of Igloo as it brings insurance coverage to large uninsured and underinsured segments in Southeast Asia. Igloo has championed financial inclusion for underserved communities across the region to help build a more sustainable future in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

 

Wylly is an online auction platform for used cars linking private owners and dealers. The startup aims to make the selling and buying experience simpler, faster and fairer. 

BNP Paribas Cardif has been working with major automobile manufacturers for decades, leveraging its unique partnership-based business model to help them deploy their strategies and better serve their customers. This partnership encompasses insurance solutions (creditor insurance, extended warranties and more), as well as additional services to protect drivers and their vehicles. These solutions lead to policyholder satisfaction and regular contacts between automakers and their customers. 

For their mobility solutions, French consumers tend to choose used cars over new vehicles. However, the buying and selling experience can take up considerable time and energy, and can be quite stressful as well. In addition to the vast diversity of options to be considered – in-person transactions at a garage, consumer-to-consumer ads, professional websites for vehicle purchases, etc. – there are extensive procedures for checking information provided by sellers, not to mention complicated auction systems. 

To energize the used car market and promote the circular economy, BNP Paribas Cardif is supporting the launch of a new startup called Wylly, in partnership with startup studio Rainmaking. BNP Paribas Cardif insurer is also drawing on the expertise of its subsidiary Icare, a specialist in mechanical breakdown warranties and automobile maintenance contracts. An auction website that enables private vehicle owners to sell their used vehicles to dealers, Wylly aims to make the used car selling and buying experience simpler, faster and fairer.

Wylly has designed a “win/win” approach that benefits both private sellers and dealers. 

For individuals, Wylly is a way to easily sell a car at the best price thanks to: 

• national auctions with bids from thousands of professionals, 
• free home vehicle pickup,
• an end-to-end, totally secure online process. 

For dealers, Wylly makes it easier to source cars from private sellers thanks to: 

• a daily inflow of used cars offered exclusively via the site from throughout France, 
• detailed offers and verified vehicles, 
• a 100% online process with automated auctions. 

“As an insurer, we have been working closely in the mobility sector for many years with our automobile manufacturer partners. In this sector as in others, platformization changes expectations and creates new possibilities. In particular it encourages the circular economy by simplifying the selling and buying experience in the pre-owned vehicle market. By aiding innovative initiatives such as this we are supporting our customers as they adopt new approaches to consumption,” says Jean-Bertrand Laroche, BNP Paribas Cardif Deputy Chief Executive Officer, International Markets.

« Alongside the world’s leading companies, we aspire to invest in great founders building world-class products that solve a big problem within a sizeable market. Our investment in Wylly achieves precisely this. We are proud to support Wylly on its mission to ensure every car owner gets the best price easily, quickly and entirely online when selling their car! » adds Jordan Schlipf, CEO Rainmaking Venture Studio.

“Cars remain an indispensable mobility resource for large numbers of people in France, and selling a vehicle at a good price is very important for their budgets. At the same time, dealers are in an excellent position to ensure an extended lifetime and safety for these used cars, creating a healthy ongoing supply of vehicles. Our solution brings sellers and dealers closer together across France by providing a platform for fair, transparent and simple transactions thanks to a 100% online experience in a secure ecosystem,” states Cyril Hersch, CEO of Wylly.