La Nef

What La Nef does

La Nef (Société Financière de la Nef) is a French cooperative bank founded in 1988 in Vaulx-en-Velin that exclusively finances ecological, social, and cultural projects. It is structured as a société anonyme coopérative à directoire et conseil de surveillance, owned and democratically governed by 50,347 sociétaires under a 1-person-1-vote model, and is regulated by the Banque de France as a specialized credit institution. The bank holds the ESUS (Etablissement Solidaire d'Utilité Sociale) certification, reportedly unique among French banks, and has been recognized by Oxfam France with a 10/10 climate score (2019) and by Les Amis de la Terre (2022) for ethical banking transparency.

The platform offers savings products for individuals (Livret B la Nef, Compte à terme, Parts sociales, Nef+) and a €12/month professional current account (Nef Pro), backed by an online and mobile banking interface and integrations such as Smile&Pay for card acceptance and WEBEDI for teletransmission. Lending products include investment credit, treasury loans, and confirmed credit lines for TPE, independent professionals, enterprises exceeding €3M in revenue, and local authorities. Two wholly-owned subsidiaries extend the platform: Zeste, an ethical crowdfunding platform, and Nef Lab, a digital-transformation vehicle created in 2024 from the acquisition of OnlyOne's assets.

La Nef generates revenue primarily through net interest income on loans funded by collected deposits (a short-circuit savings-to-lending model), supplemented by recurring subscription fees on professional accounts and ancillary services. Distribution combines a national network of itinerant bankers (banquiers itinérants) and dedicated grand-compte advisors across 15+ French cities with a self-serve digital channel. The bank has cumulatively disbursed €1.7B across 8,500 projects since inception, financed 504 projects in 2025, and raised €25M through the 2022-2024 BIG BANQUE capital campaign to fund its transition to full independence.

Name

La Nef

Legal name

Société Financière de la Nef

Website

https://lanef.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

La Nef is a French cooperative bank founded in 1988 that exclusively finances ecological, social, and cultural projects. Owned by 50,347 sociétaires under one-person-one-vote governance, it serves 80,000+ individual and professional clients through ethical savings products, lending, and a crowdfunding platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ethical Cooperative Banking

NAICS

Depository Credit Intermediation (5221), Credit Unions (52213)

SIC

State Commercial Banks (6022), Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)

akta.pro primary industry

Cooperative Banks (Member-Owned Commercial/Retail) (FSABAEAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Green/Ethical/Sustainable Neobanks (FSABAFAI)

Keywords

• Ethical banking
• Cooperative banking
• Impact lending
• Sustainable savings
• Société coopérative

Headquarters

HQ city

Vaulx-en-velin

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices16 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Interest Income from Loans: Traditional banking model generating revenue from interest spreads on loans extended to ecological, social and cultural projects.
2. Savings Deposit Mobilization: Collects savings from individuals and professionals through Livret B Nef, term accounts, and social shares, then lends to certified impact projects.
3. Account Services and Transaction Fees: Monthly subscription for current accounts (€12/month for Nef Pro), payment terminal services, tele-transmission services for professionals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

La Nef is a French cooperative bank that collects savings and livrets from individuals and professionals, and lends exclusively to ecological, social, cultural, and solidarity-based projects. The institution publishes the complete list of financed projects for full transparency and operates as a member-owned cooperative governed by sociétaires (member-shareholders).

Product overview

La Nef is a cooperative banking institution offering a unified portfolio of ethical financial products. The core offering centers on savings products (Livret B, Compte à terme, Parts sociales, Nef+) for individuals and current accounts (Nef Pro) for professionals, complemented by lending solutions (Crédit d'investissement, Prêt de trésorerie, Lignes de trésorerie) for businesses. The platform includes the Zeste crowdfunding platform for direct project investment, Club Nef for ethical consumption benefits, and Nef Lab for digital innovation initiatives. All products exclusively finance ecological, social, or cultural projects with full transparency.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nef Lab: Digital innovation subsidiary created from acquisition of OnlyOne's assets, focused on accelerating digital transformation for ethical finance.
• Zeste
• Nef Pro
• Club Nef

Products and services

• Compte à terme Nef (Savings Account)

Quantifiable outcome

• 50,347 sociétaires and 80,000+ clients as of 2026
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• BiocoopflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Major organic retail chain partnership strengthened in 2025. La Nef has been a partner of Biocoop for supporting the organic sector through financing.
• Énergie Partagée Investissement (EPI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008La Nef co-created Solaire Investissement Rhône-Alpes (SOLIRA) in 2008-2010, which became Énergie Partagée Investissement (EPI) in 2010 as part of the Énergie Partagée movement for citizen-owned renewable energy projects.
• EnercoopcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Co-founded by La Nef in 2005, Enercoop is a renewable energy cooperative. La Nef has maintained a close partnership supporting Enercoop's energy projects and citizen energy initiatives.
• SORA EquityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for fundraising advisory services, helping clients with capital raise operations and innovative financing structures.
• FEBEA (Fédération Européenne des Banques Ethiques et Alternatives)coreOthersFounding member of European Federation of Ethical and Alternative Banks, helping define ethical banking standards.
• Les LicoornescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollective of cooperatives for transition, including La Nef and other cooperatives building a cooperative economy.
• OnlyOneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLa Nef acquired OnlyOne's assets and created Nef Lab to accelerate digital transformation for ethical finance.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Banque Alternative Suisse: Swiss ethical bank and minority equity investor in La Nef. Operates a directly comparable ethical banking model with focus on ecological, social, and cultural projects.
• Qonto: French SMB-focused neobank offering subscription-based business accounts. Directly competes with La Nef's Nef Pro account for the TPE/independent professional segment, though without the ethical lending mandate.
• Banca Etica: Italian ethical cooperative bank financing environmental and social projects. Comparable cooperative governance and exclusive project-based lending model within the FEBEA network alongside La Nef.
• Ulule: French ethical crowdfunding platform aligned with La Nef's Zeste subsidiary. Both platforms enable project-level financing for socially and environmentally positive projects, competing for the same impact-driven entrepreneur base.
• GLS Bank: German ethical cooperative bank (Gemeinschaftsbank für Leihen und Schenken). Directly comparable member-owned cooperative model serving impact-driven sectors with a similar savings-to-loan intermediation model.
• Crédit Coopératif: French cooperative bank serving ethical, social, and environmental economy actors. Closest direct peer as a French cooperative bank with a similar impact-oriented mission and client base of associations, social enterprises, and ethically-minded individuals.
• Triodos Bank: European ethical and sustainable bank operating in multiple countries with a published loan portfolio. Most globally comparable ethical bank with similar transparency positioning and exclusive focus on sustainable sectors.

Emerging players

• Helios: French green neobank exclusively funding impact projects via carbon footprint tracking. Overlaps on ethical/environmental mission but operates as a digital-only neobank rather than a traditional cooperative bank.

Broad incumbents

• Caisse d'Épargne: Major French savings bank (Groupe BPCE). Same broad cooperative/mutual savings intermediation model but with general-purpose lending; competes for ethical deposits via Livret de Développement Durable.
• Crédit Mutuel: Large French cooperative banking group serving consumers and businesses. Wider scope and scale than La Nef, with overlapping cooperative ethos but significantly broader product range and no ethical-only mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagramlanef.com/instagram
• Xx.com/lanef_

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Nef