RCI Banque
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive finance |
| Founded | 1974 |
| Founder | Renault |
| Headquarters | Paris , France |
Area served | Worldwide (Europe, Russia, Asia, South America, Netherlands) |
Key people | João Miguel Leandro (CEO), Clotilde Delbos (Chairman) |
| Products | Automotive financing, insurance, leasing, rental, fleet management, credit cards |
| Owner | Renault |
| Parent | Renault Mobilize division |
| Website | www |
RCI Banque SA (), operating under the trade name Mobilize Financial Services, is a France-headquartered global enterprise and a fully owned subsidiary of Renault. It functions within Renault's Mobilize division. RCI Banque delivers automotive financing, insurance, and associated services worldwide for Renault group marques (Renault, Dacia, Mobilize, and Alpine), as well as for Nissan group brands (Nissan, Infiniti) across Europe, Russia, Asia, and South America,[1] and supports Mitsubishi Motors in the Netherlands.
Since 2015, RCI Banque has been designated as a Significant Institution under the framework of European Banking Supervision and is subject to direct oversight by the European Central Bank.[2]
History
Established by Renault in 1974 under the name Société Financière de Renault (Sofiren), the company was originally created to finance dealership transactions and manage Renault’s cash flow in Europe. On 27 June 1980, it adopted the name Renault Crédit International (RCI). In 1990, it merged with Diac (Diffusion Industrielle et Automobile par le Crédit), which had been founded in 1924 by Louis Renault to provide vehicle financing; Diac continues to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of RCI Banque. By that year, the finance division accounted for more than one-third of Renault group’s net earnings.
Following the establishment of the 1999 Renault–Nissan Alliance, RCI acquired Nissan’s five financial subsidiaries across Europe for €294 million and expanded its presence into South and Central America to support both Renault and Nissan sales. The company was renamed RCI Banque in November 2001. In February 2016, it underwent a rebranding to become RCI Bank and Services.
In January 2017, RCI gained majority ownership of fr:Karhoo, a taxi service platform. Later that year, it acquired Class and Co, which owns Yuso (an automated fleet management system) and Marcel (a ride-hailing service based in Paris). In June 2018, RCI purchased a 75% stake in iCabbi, a company specializing in dispatch management for taxi and private hire vehicle fleets.
The company moved its headquarters from Noisy-le-Roi to central Paris in January 2018; however, Diac retained its previous location. In February 2018, its Dutch subsidiary formed a partnership with Mitsubishi Motors Netherlands to provide financing solutions for Mitsubishi vehicles.
In May 2022, RCI Bank and Services was rebranded as Mobilize Financial Services under Renault’s Mobilize division. Concurrently, it launched Mobilize Insurance, which offers usage-based insurance plans alongside a payment card designed for emerging mobility services. By the end of 2022, Mobilize Financial Services introduced Mobilize Lease&Co, a long-term rental venture that completed its initial acquisitions in Germany in July 2023.
Activities
Mobilize Financial Services focuses on automotive financing solutions, having originated €17.8 billion in new financing and sold 4.6 million service contracts by the close of 2020, including insurance products. In that year alone, it financed 1,520,330 contracts totaling €17.8 billion in new loans. Its portfolio encompasses loans for new and used vehicles, electric vehicle battery leasing (with over 100,000 contracts recorded as of March 2017), rental agreements with purchase options, leasing arrangements, long-term rentals, along with additional offerings such as maintenance plans, extended warranties, roadside assistance programs, fleet management services, and credit cards.
The organization provides funding for new and pre-owned automobiles, spare parts acquisition, and short-term liquidity requirements for dealerships within the Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance. It maintains subsidiaries across Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Algeria, Morocco, Ukraine, South Korea, and European Union countries while holding joint ventures in Russia, Turkey, and India.
Mobilize Financial Services has also developed online vehicle sales platforms; notably in Brazil during 2018 where digital bookings accounted for 20% of Renault KWID sales through RCI’s e-payment system. Since November 2018, customers purchasing Dacia vehicles in the UK have been able to complete financing arrangements entirely online via the Dacia Buy Online platform—marking the first fully digitalized purchasing experience for automotive customers in that market.
In 2020 alone, an average of 1.8 services were sold per vehicle registered under Alliance brands within its operational territory. The company ranks among Europe’s top issuers of auto loan asset-backed securities; back in 2004 it commanded a market share of approximately 10%, alongside PSA Banque and trailing only Volkswagen and Fiat banks.
Savings
In February 2012, RCI Banque introduced the ZESTO savings accounts, made available to the public through an online platform. This digital offering marked a pioneering move by an automotive subsidiary in France. The campaign featured a television advertisement starring Romain Kunstlinger. The positive reception of ZESTO encouraged other French automotive groups, including PSA Peugeot Citroën, to explore comparable products. By the close of 2012, RCI Banque aimed to extend ZESTO’s reach into Germany, where it debuted in 2013 under the name RCI Bank Direkt. As of January 2014, ZESTO-Bank Direkt had attracted more than 136,000 clients.
In November 2020, RCI Bank and Services broadened its deposit-gathering operations by entering the Spanish market. At year-end 2020, net deposits collected amounted to €20.5 billion, constituting 43% of the company’s total assets. Deposits from retail customers—including savings accounts and term deposits—across France, Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, Brazil, and Spain rose from €17.7 billion at the end of 2019 to €20.5 billion by December 2020.
UK subsidiary
RCI Banque’s UK branch, known as RCI Bank UK and headquartered in Rickmansworth, launched its first savings account product in June 2015. This initiative was notable as the initial offering of its kind by a financial institution affiliated with a car manufacturer within the UK market.
In March 2019, RCI Bank UK secured a full UK banking licence. By February 2017, it had amassed deposits exceeding £2.1 billion from upwards of 60,000 savers since inception. Additionally, in 2017, RCI Bank earned recognition as the "Best No Notice Account Provider" from the Moneyfacts Group.
Legal Complaints
In November 2021, Mackie Motors (Brechin) Limited (MMBL), a Scottish automotive dealer, alleged that RCI Financial Services unlawfully withdrew critical financing and terminated agreements with only seven days’ notice. These claims were subsequently rejected by the High Court, with a later appeal also dismissed.
In June 2025, MMBL sent a fresh letter of claim to RCI Financial Services, Renault UK, and Nissan Motor (GB), accusing these entities of abruptly cutting off access to vital operational systems without prior notification. MMBL contended that RCI exerted pressure on Renault and Nissan to end franchise contracts based on unsubstantiated internal concerns and did so without providing MMBL an opportunity to respond.
Management
As of September 2019, governance is overseen by an Executive Committee alongside a Board of Directors. João Miguel Leandro holds the position of Chief Executive Officer, while Clotilde Delbos acts as Chairman of the Board.
Sponsorship
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, RCI Banque’s Diac brand supported Renault Sport-backed R5s and Clios competing in both the World Rally Championship and French Rally Championship.
On 24 March 2010, Diac entered into a sponsorship contract with Renault F1 covering events from the Australian Grand Prix through to Monaco. In 2017, RCI Banque renewed its collaboration with the Renault F1 team starting at the Malaysian Grand Prix.