An unique economic model
Caisse des Dépôts combines:
- long term investment activities,
- management of general interest missions granted through public mandates: financing of social housing, management of funds in complete security such as savings, pensions, funds granted to the legal professions...
- operational subsidiary companies.
Original governance
Caisse des Dépôts is a public financial institution, created by the law of 28th April 1816. Its founders gave it a statute and mode of governance which were unique in France, aimed to ensure its autonomy so that it could manage private funds requiring particular protection. Caisse des Dépôts is "under Parliament's supervision and guarantee".
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Performance
In order to retain the public mandates it carries out and to be entrusted with new ones, Caisse des Dépôts must prove its economic performance. It must therefore always strive for greater efficiency and to provide the best quality services, along with its subsidiary companies which carry out their activities within the competitive sector.
Financial solidity
Caisse des Dépôts financial solidity allows it to make secure long term commitments
This economic model allows Caisse des Dépôts to manage the funds entrusted to it in complete security. In almost 200 years of existence, Caisse des Dépôts has never failed. Its financial solidity is translated by the level of its equity capital and by its AAA financial grade, the best granted by the grading agencies. It has been recognised several times over as "the safest bank in the world" by the specialist Anglo-Saxon Press.
Caisse des Dépôts finances all its activities itself, without contributions from the State budget or taxes. Its profits come from stable, diversified resources, in equal shares from the Public Institution (activities as an investor) and its subsidiary companies and strategic holdings. Its profits, after tax are distributed as follows: one third to the State budget, one third to general interest investments and one third to increasing its equity capital. [schema]
Caisse des Dépôts carries out its general interest missions under a mandate (in particular savings and pensions management) at cost price, without making any profit from them: It is only reimbursed for its management costs.
This economic model allows Caisse des Dépôts to manage the funds entrusted to it in complete security. Also, it requires the group to perform ever better. Finally, the group is built on a mixed culture which brings together the qualities of the public and private sectors.
