chronology

More than 140 years of History

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1864 - 1893    Birth of a universal bank (1864-1893)

  • Société Générale is a child of the industrial revolution, founded in 1864 to meet the increased funding needs of France's steelmakers and railroad companies. Designed as a vehicle for modernizing the French economy, its birth comes at a time of economic turbulence.

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  • 1864 - Société Générale is established by Imperial decree on May 4
    Founded by a group of manufacturers and financiers, the Société Générale "to encourage the growth of trade and industry in France" moves into its first head office at 66-68 Rue de Provence. ...
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  • 1871 - Access to the French public debt issue market
    After its defeat in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, the resulting Treaty of Frankfurt contains provisions for France to pay Prussia five billion francs in war reparations over a three-year period. When the government ...
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  • 1881 - The creation of Sogénal
    In 1871, Prussia annexes Alsace and the Moselle under the terms of the Frankfurt Treaty. Poorly represented in both areas at this time, Société Générale sees an opportunity to develop its ...
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  • 1872-1893 - Adventures in Peru
      At a time when Europe and North America are in the grip of a severe economic crisis, Société Générale decides to invest in South America. The Peruvian government appoints the bank to ...
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1894 - 1914    The era of expansion

  • International trade is growing fast, not least in capital markets. In 1896, with the second industrial revolution powering ahead, the European and North American economies return to growth, driven by oil, power generation and chemicals.

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  • 1896 - The introduction of a provident fund
    Established on July 28, 1896, the Caisse de Prévoyance (Provident Fund) is funded by deductions from employees' salaries, supplemented by an allocation from the Board of Directors. The fund guarantees that staff of ...
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  • 1900 - The Universal Exposition
      Organized to celebrate modernity and progress, the universal exposition of 1900 showcases the pinnacle of the previous century's industrial, technical and social advances. Société Générale ...
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  • 1901 - Welcome to Russia!
    As early as the 1880s, Société Générale has been looking towards Russia, but to begin with, the bank finances expansion of major industrial manufacturers, rather than establish a local presence ...
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  • 1903 - The creation of the CASG
      Created to offer employees a route to physical fitness and build team spirit within the bank, the Club Athlétique de la Société Générale (CASG) sets itself apart from other company ...
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  • 1911 - The Bonnot Gang robberies
    1910 sees the beginning of a spate of bank robberies by the Bonnot Gang. Société Générale doesn't escape the gang's attention, and in 1911, the Rue Ordener branch in Paris is targeted and its ...
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  • 1912 - A newly-minted central branch
    In 1912, Société Générale opens its central branch at 29 Boulevard Haussmann in the Paris business district of the Opéra. Architect Jacques Hermant decides to retain the existing facades ...
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1973-1997    Modern times... testing times

  • After the euphoria of the 30 Glorious Years, comes a new period of disruption and discontinuity. The oil crises of 1973 and 1979 are followed by recession. Then comes the stock market crash of 1987, followed by another recession from 1991 to 1993. The fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, and the deregulation and subsequent ...

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  • 1980 - The "Caisse Éclair"
    The information revolution brings with it a transformation in the way administrative tasks are managed, and offers many opportunities to improve customer service. Société Générale adapts rapidly ...
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  • 1987 - Privatization
    1986 sees the first of several waves of privatization in France. Société Générale is selected for privatization as early as 1987 because of the sound financial health reflected by its risk ...
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  • 1988 - The "Affaire de la Générale"
      It all begins in the stock market in 1988, when suspicions are aroused by unusual movements in the shares of Société Générale, now France's largest private banking group. Concern reaches a ...
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  • 1990 - A new logo
      Having had no logo since 1986, Société Générale decides that it's time for a new visual identity. The brief is to steer clear of symbols, retain the red color and emphasize ...
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  • 1993-1995 - The relocation of central services to Val-de-Fontenay and La Défense
      Previously spread over approximately 50 different locations, central services are now brought together in two centers: one to the east of Paris and the other to the west. The definitive choice is La Défense, ...
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  • 1997 - The acquisition of Crédit du Nord
    The contract for the acquisition of the Crédit du Nord Group by Société Générale is signed on March 10, 1997. The transaction is valued at 2.2 billion francs (€340 million). ...
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1914 - 1945    Operating in a world in crisis

  • Two world wars, the Russian Revolution, the economic crisis that begins in 1929 and the Spanish Civil War... the period from 1914 to 1945 is one of high drama and conflict. For Société Générale, it also means the loss of its Russian subsidiary and a total withdrawal from business in that country.

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  • 1915 - National Loan issues
    On August 11, 1914, France declares war on Germany. By the fall of the year, both armies are almost out of ammunition and food. It is clear that the war will drag on longer than anyone thought at the outset, and the issue ...
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  • 1921 - An innovative new idea: professional training
    Rising staff numbers encourage the bank to develop an effective labor policy. The senior management team becomes progressively aware of the crucial challenge posed by providing technical training for its staff. The very ...
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  • 1928 - The creation of CALIF
      Société Générale gets together with a number of leading manufacturers to create Crédit à l'Industrie Française (CALIF). The aim of the new entity is to encourage ...
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  • 1929 - Black Thursday
      On Thursday, October 24, 1929, the New York stock exchange collapses. As they see prices plummet, speculators try to sell all their stock as fast as they can. In just a few hours, 12 million shares are sold on the ...
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  • 1940-1945 - The throes of war
    During the Second World War, a combination of allied bombing and the military campaigns of 1940 and 1944 impact on 127 of the bank's buildings, leaving 32 severely damaged or totally destroyed. The branches in Normandy and ...
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1945-1972    The "Guardian Angel" bank

  • 30 glorious years of unprecedented economic growth

    For 30 years, full employment, strong growth and demographic expansion all come together in virtuous combination. The boom in production and foreign trade offers banks a whole range of new possibilities.

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  • 1948 - Summer camps
    Having been nationalized in 1945, Société Générale opens its first summer camp for employees' children in 1948. The works council acquires the La Baticolière estate near Lyon in December ...
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  • 1962 - Turning the African networks into subsidiary companies
    Tunisia in 1956, Guinea in 1958, the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa in 1960 and, finally, Algeria in 1962: one-by-one, France gives up its African colonies. In accordance with the legislation of these newly-independent ...
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  • 1964 - A new product: the Sogévar SICAV
    A new piece of legislation introduced on September 20, 1963 opens the way for the creation of open-ended collective investment schemes (Sociétés d'Investissement à Capital Variable or SICAVs).
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  • 1966 - The Debré banking law
      Then Minister of Finance Michel Debré introduces major reforms designed to modernize regulation of the banking industry. The banking industry legislation of June 16, 1966 relaxes the distinction between ...
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  • 1969 - The Pasquier logo
      Right from its beginnings, Société Générale was often identified by its SG monogram. These two letters in a traditional typeface were what constituted the corporate identity that appeared ...
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  • 1971 - Incorporation of the Société Centrale de Banque
    Between 1920 and 1940, the French-based Crédit Foncier d'Algérie et de Tunisie (CFAT) was one of the Top 10 banks in the country. Having developed an extensive branch network in North Africa, it expands ...
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1998-2009    On course for the 21st century

  • At the dawn of the new century, the Société Générale Group focuses on achieving growth via the three key routes of international retail banking, asset management and specialist financial services. The Group also achieves strong growth through the excellent performances delivered by its two historically-important business sectors ...

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  • 1998 - The creation of BHFM
    The creation in 1998 of Banque de Détail hors France Métropolitaine (BHFM) to look after retail banking outside mainland France reflects the commitment of the Group to further strengthening one of the major ...
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  • 1999 - The attempted raid by BNP
    On March 9, 1999, as Paribas and Société Générale are in the midst of merger preparations, BNP launches public stock-for-stock tender offers (OPE in French) for both banks, offering 11 BNP shares ...
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  • 2002 - The arrival of the euro
    Goodbye to francs, deutsche marks, lire and pesetas... at midnight on January 1, 2002, the euro becomes the single currency used by 300 million Europeans in the 12 countries of the eurozone (16 by 2009). Banks and other ...
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  • 2008 - The Kerviel case
    On January 24, 2008, the bank reveals that one of its market traders has exposed the bank to a major risk by operating far beyond his limited authority. Jérôme Kerviel has built up massive directional positions ...
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  • 2008 - Fall of Lehman Brothers and beginning of the subprime crisis
    On 15 September 2008, the American investment bank Lehman Brothers officially filed for bankruptcy following the so-called subprime crisis. This dragged down the US Stock Exchange and then stock exchanges around the world, ...
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  • 2009 - Socially responsible
    In 2009, the Societe Generale Group was recognised by Capitalcom – Riskmetrics as leading the CAC 40 in terms of diversity, practices and the quality of information supplied.
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  • 2009 - A great patron
    On 11 February 2009, Societe Generale received France’s “Grand Mécène” (great patron) medal for its cultural sponsorship policy. Presented by Christine Albanel, the French Minister of Culture and Communication, this ...
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  • 2010 - The Société Marseillaise de Crédit joins the Crédit du Nord Group
    Established in 1865, the Société Marseillaise was initially a commercial bank whose objective was to provide finance to the local economy and international commerce. In 1909 it extended its activity to accepting deposits ...
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