Founded in 1982 as a cooperation between the 3 Suisses International-Group and Cetelem, Cofidis specializes in consumer loans. 

The business concept of offering bespoke consumer loans by phone or Internet has since been successfully extended from France to several other countries. In 2003, Cofidis partnered with Crédit Mutuel Nord Europe to establish a new joint venture, Créfidis. In 2004, Cofidis acquired a 66 percent equity stake in C2C, the financial services provider of the French Camif-Group.