Credit Agricole holds a series of workshops on developing financial inclusion for veterans

Credit Agricole’s head office hosted a series of workshops as part of the project aimed at reintegrating veterans in the financial sector of Ukraine, realized with the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The event brought together the representatives of EBRD, the National Bank of Ukraine, and leading Ukrainian banks to develop solutions that will improve the interaction between veterans and financial institutions.

The basis for the participants’ practical work was a study conducted as part of EBRD project, which consisted of in-depth interviews with veterans, employers, service providers, and teams from different banks. The study allowed to comprehensively identify the needs and expectations, as well as the challenges veterans are encountering when using financial services.

During the workshops, the participants analyzed real cases that were created based on the results of the study. The working groups identified roots of the barriers, discussed possible ways of overcoming them, and formed practical recommendations that will help the banks in adapting their processes and services to the needs of veterans.

“Unfortunately, veterans, the people who paid an extremely high price for the freedom of our country, are currently facing significant barriers when receiving financial services. So, together with our colleagues and partners, we worked on creating real solutions that will help overcome these barriers and can be implemented in the near future. The important part is: we focused not only on the physical accessibility aspect of the outlets, but also on customer experiences, decision-making processes, and current challenges for customers. Our common task is to shape an accessible and understandable environment that is sensitive to the needs of veterans,” highlighted Anastasiia Lazarenko, director of the Commercial Activity Assistance at Credit Agricole.

Supporting veterans is one of the priority areas for Credit Agricole. The bank’s Charter of Equality has been in place for five years now, and in 2024 Credit Agricole also signed a Charter on Financial Inclusion and Reintegration of Veterans..