La Fabrique by CA

What La Fabrique by CA does

La Fabrique by CA is a corporate startup studio established in 2018 and wholly owned by Crédit Agricole Group, with registered offices at 50 rue La Boétie, 75008 Paris and share capital of €45.5M. The studio operates a dual mandate: it creates fintech startups internally through a structured five-stage ideation pipeline (2 hours, 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 months), and it acquires or takes equity stakes in existing fintechs that align with the Group's strategic priorities. Roughly 100 ideas per year enter the filter, and since inception the studio has launched eight startups and acquired two, supporting an internal team of 23 collaborators and approximately 300 people across portfolio companies.

The portfolio spans distinct fintech verticals: Okali (ACPR-regulated BaaS and electronic money issuance, acquired January 2022; €1.5B Pay In volume), Worklife (employee benefits platform with payment card and mobile app, acquired 2023; 300,000+ employee users), Blank (professional account for freelancers, sub-five-minute onboarding), Kls (sovereign collaborative platform tracking €130B+ in financing across 250+ financial institutions), Yapla (payment and association management platform, €550M collected for associations), Propulse by CA (online professional account with 250,000 entrepreneur users in 2025), GenIAL/Cibler (AI conversational agent platform), and Nello (caregiver app launched June 2026 targeting 5 million caregivers in France). Capital deployment is supported by FIRECA, Crédit Agricole's innovation fund with a €100M+ envelope, and distributed through partnerships with CACD2 (tech), BforBank and LCL (digital banking), and the Village by CA accelerator network (44+ spaces in France, Italy, and Luxembourg).

The studio's revenue mechanics are internal to Crédit Agricole Group: it captures value through equity appreciation in subsidiaries, intra-Group distribution, and strategic optionality, rather than through standalone pricing. GTM combines enterprise field sales into the Group's 39 regional banks with API-first and digital channels launched through the subsidiaries (Okali's regulated rails, Blank's self-serve onboarding, Propulse's 100% online flow). The primary customer is Crédit Agricole Group itself, with secondary beneficiaries being the 39 Caisses Régionales and, downstream, the end-clients of each portfolio subsidiary.

Name

La Fabrique by CA

Legal name

La Fabrique by CA

Website

https://lafabriquebyca.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

La Fabrique by CA is a Paris-based corporate startup studio wholly owned by Crédit Agricole Group, creating and acquiring fintech startups (Okali, Worklife, Blank, Kls, Yapla, Propulse, GenIAL, Nello) that become Group subsidiaries and leverage Crédit Agricole's 39 regional banks, regulatory licenses, and €100M+ FIRECA innovation fund.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Startup Studio / Fintech Venture Building

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210), Computer Systems Design Services (541512)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Venture Studios & Incubators (Build/launch ventures) (FSANAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Venture Studios / Company Builders (FSANAAAH), Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD), Corporate M&A / Venture Build-to-Buy Programs (Acqui-hire, option-to-acquire) (FSANAHAG)

Keywords

• Corporate startup studio
• Fintech venture building
• Banking-as-a-service
• Embedded finance platforms
• Financial services incubation

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Startup Creation and Investment: La Fabrique by CA creates fintech startups internally, takes equity stakes in them, and develops them into subsidiaries of Crédit Agricole Group. The studio generates returns through the appreciation and eventual exit of portfolio companies.
2. Corporate Innovation Services: Provides strategic innovation services to Crédit Agricole Group, helping the bank explore new business models and market opportunities. The studio acts as a vehicle for industrializing startup creation within the banking group.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

La Fabrique by CA is the corporate startup studio of Crédit Agricole Group. It creates, invests in, and acquires fintech startups that become subsidiaries of the Group, covering Bank-as-a-Service (Okali), employee benefits (Worklife), professional accounts for entrepreneurs and freelancers (Propulse, Blank), association management (Yapla), corporate financing tracking (Kls), and AI conversational agents (GenIAL). The studio's purpose is to industrialize startup creation in alignment with Crédit Agricole's strategic innovation priorities and to hybridize these new ventures with the Group's banking distribution network.

Product overview

La Fabrique by CA is a corporate startup studio that creates, invests in, and develops fintech startups as subsidiaries of Crédit Agricole. The portfolio includes: Worklife (employee benefits platform with card and mobile app), Okali (Banking-as-a-Service regulated by ACPR), Propulse by CA (online professional account for entrepreneurs), Yapla (association management and payment platform), Kls (enterprise financing management platform), Blank (professional account for freelancers), and GenIAL (AI conversational platform). These startups operate as independent subsidiaries while leveraging Crédit Agricole's distribution network, regulatory expertise, and strategic resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Worklife Employee benefits platform combining a mobile app and payment card that consolidates all employee benefits (meal vouchers, mobility allowances, transport subscriptions) into a single solution with integrated Social Assessment (BSI), for HR teams and employees of client companies.
• Okali ACPR-regulated Banking-as-a-Service platform providing modular payment solutions and electronic money issuance, enabling businesses, fintechs, and financial institutions to launch customized financial services.
• Propulse by CA 100% online professional account for entrepreneurs offering business planning tools, financial aid guides, and resources for business creation, for individual entrepreneurs and small business creators.
• Yapla All-in-one payment and management platform for associations covering membership management, donations, event ticketing, newsletters, accounting, and website creation, for non-profit associations and their members.
• Kls Sovereign collaborative platform for managing and tracking enterprise financing operations, including debt syndication, financing tracking, and eligibility management, for banks and funds.
• Blank Professional account for freelancers offering business account opening in under five minutes, invoicing, expense tracking, and integrated insurance starting at €6/month, for independents and freelancers.
• Cibler (GenIAL) AI-powered conversational intelligence platform (GenIAL Factory / Cibler) enabling organizations to create, supervise, and autonomously adjust conversational agents for improved operational efficiency, for enterprises deploying AI assistants.
• Nello Application for caregivers (aidants) that simplifies daily life by helping manage appointments, administrative tasks, and balancing caregiving responsibilities with professional work, for the 5 million caregivers in France.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8 startups launched and 2 acquired since inception
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered major and supporting.

• Village by CAmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014The largest startup accelerator in Europe with 44+ spaces in France, Italy, and Luxembourg. Created in 2014 with the first Village in Paris. Since creation, 3,000 startups have been supported with 850+ partners. Works in conjunction with La Fabrique by CA within Crédit Agricole's innovation ecosystem.
• CACD2supportingTechnology or IntegrationDigital solutions development entity of Crédit Agricole that creates solutions to improve customer experience and internal processes. Has developed Vision tool for Sofinco advisors and works on innovative projects using latest technologies.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Barclays Eagle Labs / Rise: Barclays Eagle Labs is the UK bank's innovation and startup support platform, offering workspaces, mentorship, and fintech programs. Directly comparable as a major bank-backed innovation ecosystem that supports startup creation and growth.
• BNP Paribas Plug and Play: BNP Paribas's partnership with Plug and Play runs a fintech accelerator in Paris. Operates as a bank-backed innovation platform creating and supporting fintech ventures in the French market, directly competing for similar startup founders and fintech themes as La Fabrique by CA.
• BBVA Spark: BBVA Spark is the corporate fintech venture arm of BBVA bank, investing in and building fintech startups aligned with the bank's strategy. Directly comparable to La Fabrique by CA as a bank-backed startup creation vehicle targeting the financial services vertical.
• Anthemis: Anthemis is a UK-based fintech-focused venture capital and venture studio investor. Comparable as a dedicated fintech venture builder/investor, though operating independently rather than as a bank subsidiary.
• ING Labs / ING Ventures: ING's venture capital and innovation arm invests in and partners with fintech startups globally. Comparable as a major European bank's innovation vehicle, though ING Ventures focuses more on minority investments than full venture building.
• Société Générale Ventures: Société Générale's venture and innovation arm supports fintech and startup initiatives aligned with the French bank's strategy. Closely comparable to La Fabrique as a major French banking group running corporate innovation and venture creation in the same regulatory and competitive landscape.

Broad incumbents

• HSBC Innovation Banking: HSBC's innovation banking unit provides banking services to technology and fintech startups. A broad incumbent bank with an explicit innovation/fintech focus, comparable in scale and institutional backing to La Fabrique by CA's parent context.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lafabriquebyca
• Xx.com/lafabriquebyca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about La Fabrique by CA