15 Million People Banked Online in France in August

Online Banking Usage Grows 28 Percent During the Past Year

Credit Agricole Most Popular Online Banking Destination in France

PARIS, France, October 20, 2008- Comscore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released a report on the French online banking sector, showing that France is one of the world’s most developed markets for online banking.

Of the 37 global markets individually-reported by Comscore, France ranked number four in penetration of online banking, with 46 percent of French Internet users accessing online banking sites in August 2008, ranking behind only Canada (64 percent), the Netherlands (51 percent) and Sweden (47 percent). French Internet users also exhibited high frequency in accessing online banking sites, with an average of 6 usage days and 7 online banking visits per visitor in August.

“Online banking is clearly an important business sector in France, with one of the highest adoption rates in Europe,” said Herve Le Jouan, Managing Director, Comscore Europe. “In today’s current global economic climate, consumers will undoubtedly be seeking greater accessibility and control over their personal finances – a service which is provided by the immediacy of Internet banking. But with competition in the online banking sector in France already fierce, marketers need to understand the online behaviours of these consumers to ensure that they meet their needs online, and ultimately capitalise upon the growing popularity of the sector.”

Credit Agricole Leads French Online Banking Category
Of the 32.2 million French Internet users in August 2008, 14.8 million visited at least one online banking site, up 28 percent versus last year. Credit Agricole led the category with 6.9 million visitors, followed by Societe Generale with 4 million visitors and Caisse d'Epargne with 3 million visitors. Among those banks in the top 10, ING Group experienced the greatest increase in visitation during the past year, growing 209 percent to 757,000 visitors.

* Excludes traffic from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.

25-34 Year Olds are Heaviest Online Bankers

An examination of the demographics of online banking users reveals that the 25-34 year old segment has the broadest usage of online banking services while 15-24 year old consumers have the lowest. Since most 15-24 year olds are either in full time education or first time employment, they may be less inclined to manage their finances online or have limited financial assets to manage. Meanwhile, heavy access among 25-34 year olds likely reflects their increasing financial responsibilities and their familiarity with managing accounts online. With many from this age segment confronting new financial challenges, such as buying their first home or expecting a child, they represent an especially important segment for marketers to target.

Interestingly, consumers in the 35 – 44 year age segment and those 55 years and older visited online banking sites most frequently, with the 55+ group viewing the most pages per visitor in the month.

* Excludes traffic from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.

About Comscore
Comscore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred source of digital marketing intelligence. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/boilerplate

Ayaan Mohamud
Comscore, Inc.
+ 44 (0) 207-099-1775
worldpress@comscore.com