The CNEP participates in the National 5% Loan of 1915, Lyon branch

Last update: Nov 29, 2024

This Comptoir National d’Escompte de Paris (CNEP) poster, placed in the Lyon branch, calls on its clientele to participate in the 1st National Defence loan, launched in November 1915. The sums the French people loaned the State to finance the war effort earned them an annual annuity of 5%.

When the banks contributed to the war effort

French banks provided decisive support to help fund the 1914-1918 war and the reconstruction efforts.
Faced with the exceptional financial needs related to the length of the conflict, the French government launched 4 major “National Defence loans” (1915, 1916, 1917 and 1918).
Meanwhile the banks mobilised their networks in order to harness the savings of the French people. Issued as perpetual bonds starting in 1915, these four National Defence loans were the most famous, promoted on posters featuring powerful patriotic allegories. These posters covered the facades of bank agencies during the war.