Credit Agricole ensures business continuity even in the toughest of times

For nearly two years now, we have existed in the new reality, when the war is waged not only on the battlefield, but when the enemy employs the various tactics of blackouts, cyber-attacks, missile terrors, etc., attempting to break down the uninterrupted work of companies and jeopardize the economy of Ukraine.

Credit Agricole is among the leading banks of Ukraine that stands out on the market thanks to its European standards of service and solidity. Aware of the risks brought on by the war, the bank is committed to constantly improve its business continuity plan. We also care about our employees’ safety by notifying them of the air raid alerts in the bank’s head offices and allowing our employees to work remotely if needed.

What does the bank do to ensure business continuity in the most trying of times?

Credit Agricole’s main forte lies in coherence and synergy of its teams. In order to reliably support our customers even as hostilities or blackouts worsen, we have done the following.

• Outlets: 52 outlets of the bank now operate in Powerbanking mode, enabling our customers to receive service in bank outlets even during power outages.
• Data security: the bank has set up the 3^rd cloud data processing center with full data backup and has tested it successfully. Cloud environment enables uninterrupted access to all the critical systems/data.
• Connection: head office premises and facilities where the critical teams are based, in particular the contact center, are equipped with power generators, Starlink and other necessities for the long-term autonomous operation and ensuring uninterrupted critical processes.
• IT infrastructure: IT department and IT security department have provided virtual desktop that enables employees to connect to the Telework corporate network from anywhere in the world.
• Cash at the cash register. In cooperation with the largest retailers, the bank keeps offering cash at the cash register service, allowing customers to withdraw cash when paying for goods and services. ATM network of all the banks is most severely affected during total blackouts, thus this service has proved helpful for many customers.

Sequence of actions for maximum result

Critical situations call for coordinated work. Credit Agricole Bank has developed the Business Continuity Plan, the document that determines sequence of actions of the bank’s departments responsible for supporting uninterrupted critical activity in the event of an emergency (exacerbated hostilities, long-term blackout, cyber-crisis, etc.). In order to avoid chaos, work in orderly and coordinated manner, the algorithm of actions for bank customers and employees has been developed. We hope that these documents are never needed, however it is valuable and at times vital to have a clear action plan should various crisis scenarios come into being.