In 2023, Crédit Mutuel du Sud-Ouest distributed over 1,500,000 euros in solidarity schemes to members in vulnerable situations in Charente, Gironde and Dordogne. Crédit Mutuel du Sud-Ouest's solidarity schemes, which include financial or material donations, the granting of personal microcredits, the waiving or reversal of charges, and assistance for borrowers in difficulty, provide tangible help to individuals, associations and companies in vulnerable situations, and support local employment. Crédit Mutuel du Sud-Ouest's solidarity schemes are proof that the mutual cooperative bank based in Charente, Gironde and Dordogne shares its values with its members, from the pioneers to the most vulnerable.

In 2023, the Boards of Directors of the 79 local Caisses du Crédit Mutuel du Sud-Ouest supported over 2,000 members in Charente, Gironde and Dordogne:

• 739 individuals through direct donations, assistance to borrowers in difficulty or by waiving fees. A supportive way of helping those who, through an accident of life find themselves in precarious situations.
  
  
• 234 professionals also benefited from support in the form of donations in connection with business start-ups or takeovers, or loans at preferential rates to support project or job creation.
  
  
• 1057 associations were supported through computer donations and financial financial support, in particular for charitable initiatives and to benefit local benefit local players.

In 2023, our solidarity programs also provided support for local players in complex economic situations. This was notably the case for the oyster industry in the Arcachon Basin, which was hit by both storm Domingos and a ban on sales during the festive season. Volunteer directors and employees of our local Caisses took the trouble to contact our members concerned and assess their needs with them. Nearly 26,000 euros in donations were made to our oyster-farming members who had been weakened by these events.

Specific action was also taken on behalf of associations providing food aid to those most in need, in response to the warning cry expressed by the various associations at the end of 2023. In response to this emergency, the Boards of Directors of Crédit Mutuel's local Caisses du Sud-Ouest joined forces to donate 100,000 euros to various associations working in this field.

"Solidarités at Crédit Mutuel du Sud-Ouest is proof of our mutualist commitment. We are committed to sharing value with customer-members in our territories, particularly those who need it most. The Chairmen and Directors of the Boards of Directors of our 79 local Caisses have a detailed knowledge of our members' profiles, they are attentive to their needs and, above all, they have the financial tools to provide this support. As Chairman, I'm proud to see that the commitment of all Crédit Mutuel du Sud-Ouest's elected representatives and employees is not waning, on the contrary, it's intensifying. Our solidarity budgets will certainly increase again this year to help our member-customers get through 2024, a year in which precariousness, rurality and energy transitions will certainly be synonymous with inequalities in our territories".

- Sophie Violleau, President of Fédération du Crédit Mutuel du Sud-Ouest -