FDJ now offers to pay rent in tobacco shops

La Française des Jeux (FDJ) is continuing its push into the payments sector and has announced the launch of a solution that will allow people to pay "everyday bills" such as their rent with their smartphone in approved tobacconists. The service should then be extended to electricity, water and telephone bills.

FACTS

•  This scheme, proposed by the Française des Jeux (FDJ), initially concerns the tenants of 4 social landlords: Seqens-groupe Action Logement in Île-de-France, Dynacité Logement in Auvergne Rhône Alpes, Côte d'Azur Habitat in the South of France and Limoges Habitat in Nouvelle Aquitaine.

• In all, 650 municipalities in France are involved in this initiative. 150,000 households have access to this payment method.

• Customer process:

  • The tenant must download the Nirio application (published by FDJ) onto his phone.

  • He then scans his bill and shows the QR code obtained to his tobacconist.

  • They must also show their ID to the shopkeeper to carry out this operation. He can then proceed with the transaction in cash or by credit card.

• In return, the tobacconist provides a proof of payment that is valid with the tax authorities.

CHALLENGES

• Facilitating payment for the most vulnerable members of the public: It will also be possible to pay rent in instalments, provided, of course, that the rent is paid before the due date. This can help citizens who have different dates of arrival of income on their bank accounts to better manage their payments. To this end, 10 000 partner merchants have already given their agreement, and more than 5 000 have been approved by the Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution (ACPR).

• Pursuing a long-standing diversification strategy: Since July 2020, it has been possible to pay certain public bills (taxes, fines or utility bills) at a tobacconist's. The project is under the aegis of the General Directorate of Public Finances and aims to help French people who do not have Internet access and/or do not have bank accounts. The idea has been well received and more than 5 million transactions have already been recorded in this way. With Nirio, the FDJ is also looking into the possibility of paying its water, gas, electricity and telephone bills directly at its tobacconist's.

MARKET PERSPECTIVE

• With the payment of rents, the FDJ is continuing to develop its FDJ Services activity, in order to cope with the opening up of the gambling activity to competition.

• The Nickel account was the first banking player to integrate money solutions within tobacco shops. Today, the neobank is going international and is looking for new distribution channels in other countries. In Belgium, discussions are underway to find a network of distribution partners, which could be bookshops, supermarkets or even post offices. In Germany, Elle has just signed a partnership with Ilo Profit, a German gambling distribution specialist, to set up in the country.

• And in Germany, ING is developing the "cash-back" concept, which is already common in the United Kingdom in particular. Since the end of November 2022, "ING Cash" has given customers the possibility of making deposits and withdrawals from their current accounts at more than 12,000 commercial partners in Germany.