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Fransabank (France) S.A. was established in 1984 under the impetus of the Fransabank SAL Group, its majority shareholder, and Crédit Agricole. In 2007, the BPCE Group replaced Crédit Agricole by taking a 40% stake in order to strengthen the partnership with the Fransabank Group, and BPCE became the reference institution with respect to the French and European supervisory authorities. The core business of Fransabank (France) S.A. is the financing of international trade, and the bank serves non-resident corporate clients based primarily in the Middle East, North Africa and West Africa, offering corporate credits, equipment and treasury financing, real estate loans and trade finance.
The Deputy CEO of Fransabank France sat down to reflect on what makes a technology partnership genuinely work. In this interview, he explains how the relationship with SBS has matured over the years, why trust grows through projects rather than promises, and what he expects from a partner in the years ahead as the bank faces digital, regulatory and AI challenges simultaneously.
“A successful partnership for me is a collaborative synergy between an editor and the client — when you have that collaborative synergy, the most complex subjects can be simplified and transformed into impactful events.”
Firas Azzi, Deputy CEO
They chose SBS
Fransabank France operates in a demanding environment, serving non-resident corporate clients across the Middle East, North Africa and West Africa with a range of credit, trade finance and real estate products. As the bank faces an increasingly complex landscape covering digital transformation, growing regulatory obligations — from DORA to PSD3 — and the emergence of AI, it needed a technology partner capable of moving beyond pure delivery and actively contributing to its strategic thinking. The partnership with SBS, which began with the core banking system, has deepened over successive projects, with Fransabank France looking for a partner that can flag risks early, ask the right questions and anticipate the bank’s needs across technology, regulation and business lines rather than simply respond to them.
