Caisse des Dépôts

Caisse des Dépôts is a public sector financial institution that performs public interest missions on behalf of France’s central, regional and local governments. Today, Caisse des Dépôts is the leading administrator of French savings deposits and retirement savings funds and of private funds that are protected under French law:

• the leader in financing low-income housing in France and urban development;
• the long-term partner of local and regional governments: as an investor in local development projects, through subsidiaries that provide regional development services (Transdev, Egis, Compagnie des Alpes and VVF Vacances), or are involved in real estate (Icade and Société Nationale Immobilière) and private equity investing (CDC Entreprises);
• Caisse des Dépôts is also a leading long-term institutional investor.

Caisse des Dépôts is the leading shareholder in CNP (personal insurance). It also manages substantial portfolios of shares in listed companies, private equity investments (through CDC Capital Investissement) and real estate assets. Caisse des Dépôts is present throughout France thanks to its regional offices, which work directly with local and regional governments, making the full range of Caisse des Dépôts’s expertise and financing know-how available to them.

Key figures 2006

• Total assets: €200 billion
• Consolidated net income: €4.4 billion Recurrent income: €2.1 billion
• ROE: 12.5%
• Ratings: AAA/Aaa
• Total saving funds administered by Caisse des Dépôts: €205 billion
• Employees:
  
  • Caisse des Dépôts: 5,000
  • Subsidiaries: 45,000

Caisse des Dépôts in the fight against climate change

Caisse des Dépôts has designed and introduced "Carbon dioxide emissions financing" tools needed in the fight against climate change: France 's national greenhouse gas registry and Seringas technology for other states, the European carbon fund (ECF) and Powernext Carbon, the European CO2 spot market, in a partnership with Powernext and Euronext. After a call for proposals in 2007, it will finance domestic offset projects.

Long-term institutional investor

By the very nature and size of the deposits and funds it administers, Caisse des Dépôts is a significant long-term institutional investor. It manages portfolios with €120 billion in bonds and around €37 billion in listed equities, making it the largest long-term equity investor on the Paris Stock Exchange.

In pursuit of good corporate governance and in order to protect its assets as effectively as possible, Caisse des Dépôts has established an independent Consultative Committee responsible for helping it define a reference framework for corporate governance, turning it into a guide for voting at the shareholder meetings of its portfolio companies and preparing a charter for corporate board members.