Desjardins Group structure

Desjardins Group's structure has been designed to take into account the needs of our members and clients, as well as those of the markets in which we operate. The caisse network in Quebec and Ontario has the support of 3 main business segments, which reinforces our ability to build on our products and services.

Personal Services and Business and Institutional Services

Personal Services are responsible for developing and marketing the personal services offer for financing, credit and debit cards. They provide support for the distribution of products and services for the caisses and their service centres by optimizing the performance and profitability of their brick-and-mortar (caisses, business centres and ATMs) and virtual networks (phone, internet and mobile devices). They also help develop and manage the complementary networks for the caisses across Canada and in Florida.

Business and Institutional Services are responsible for developing and marketing the business services offer and providing support to the caisses and Desjardins Business centres in their services to this member category. The service offer meets the needs of businesses of all sizes and includes day-to-day transactions, investment, financing, access to capital markets, investment capital, venture capital as well as specialized and advisory services. They provide services to large corporations and to the public, parapublic and institutional sectors.

Business and Institutional Services products and services are available through complementary distribution networks: by phone, online, by mobile device, as well as at ATMs. Sales teams work throughout Quebec and in some major Canadian cities to give businesses better access to development capital.

Wealth Management and Life and Health Insurance

The Wealth Management and Life and Health Insurance segment offers a wide range of products and services tailored to the changing asset management and financial security needs of individuals, groups, businesses, caisse network members and clients of complementary distribution channels. This service offer meets consumer needs in terms of products and advisory services, life and health insurance, group insurance plans, savings plans, brokerage, as well as securities and real estate investments throughout Quebec and Ontario as well as in several major Canadian cities.

Some products and services can also be purchased by telephone, online and via mobile devices.

Property and Casualty Insurance

The Property and Casualty Insurance segment directly offers a line of automobile and home insurance products to the public, members of partner groups and businesses. In addition to being sold through the caisse network, these products are distributed across Canada through several Client Care Centres, over the Internet, via applications for mobile devices and by a large financial services and insurance product network.

The cooperative network and its companies

Desjardins Group is an organization of caisses populaires and caisses d'économie (credit unions). The 210 member caisses in Quebec as at January 1, 2023, and Caisse Desjardins Ontario Credit Union Inc. are assembled under the Fédération des caisses Desjardins du Québec.

The caisse populaire is a cooperative, the members of which are generally people living in a given geographical sector, such as the same town or neighbourhood. Most Quebecers are members of the Desjardins caisse that is closest to their home or workplace.

The credit union is also a cooperative, like the caisse populaire. However, in the majority of cases, membership in a credit union is based on belonging to a certain profession, or sharing a common workplace. The Caisse d'économie des Travailleurs unis (Montréal-Outaouais) is an example, as is the Caisse d'économie des employés de la CIP La Tuque.

Desjardins Bank is wholly owned by Fédération des caisses Desjardins du Québec, and the first Desjardins Group banking institution outside Canada. It offers financial services to Desjardins members who are living or staying in Florida, or elsewhere in the United States.

DEsjardins Florida Branch allows Desjardins Group to support medium- and large-sized businesses active in the U.S. by offering them the opportunity to carry out substantial financial transactions.

A wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fédération des caisses Desjardins du Québec, Capital Desjardins's sole purpose is to offer its own securities in the financial markets and to invest the proceeds in securities issued by Desjardins caisses.

A Canadian company offering technical support and investment services in developing or emerging Countries.

An organization that provides the caisses with the services they require and to coordinate the efforts of all other Desjardins Group components.

Desjardins Foundation has been contributing to the success of young people since 1970. Each year, it awards approximately $2 million in scholarships, prizes, and donations to partner organizations recognized for their work with young people.

Desjardins Security Fund acts as a financial reserve for the caisses, protecting them and their members from the risks inherent in their activities and ensuring that none is insolvable.

Its mission is simple: to safeguard and promote the history and heritage of the Desjardins Group and its founder, to the benefit of current and future generations.

As the trust arm of Desjardins Group, it remains active in fields such as asset custody, personal trust services, asset administration, estate liquidation and the Immigrant Investor Program


Collectively owned by the caisses

Over the years, Desjardins Group has assembled a number of corporations to serve its own needs as well as those of caisse members. The caisses are the collective owners of some 20 subsidiary companies in life and general insurance, securities brokerage, venture capital and asset management, many of which are active across the country.

Together, the subsidiaries and caisses provide their 5.8 million members and clients with a complete range of financial products and services.

Tax-advantaged fund that issues a share offering to Quebec taxpayers to contribute to the province’s economic growth by investing in SMEs and local cooperatives.

Certas Direct Insurance Company is a major player in the home and auto insurance market with clientele in Ontario and Alberta.

This subsidiary of Desjardins General Insurance Group offers home and auto insurance products to individuals and small companies.

The mission of Desjardins Financial Services Firm is to protect caisse members who obtain investment funds or financial planning services from one of its representatives.

Fund manager that offers strategic and financial support to growing businesses and innovative start-ups.

Desjardins Asset Management manages assets from the equity of the Group's insurance subsidiaries as well as management mandates from other Group components.

Life insurance company that ranks 5th among life and health insurers in Canada and 2nd in Quebec in terms of written premiums.

The Personal is recognized as a leading home and auto group insurer in the Canadian market.

Company whose mandate is to manage the spaces and facilities of more than 180 sites occupied by Desjardins Group employees in Canada and abroad. Desjardins Property Management also manages Cité Desjardins de la cooperation in Levis, as well as Complexe Desjardins and 450, boulevard de Maisonneuve Ouest in Montreal.

Desjardins Securities offers a complete range of securities brokerage products and services through its Investment Advisors and its Disnat Online Brokerage division.

International commitments

Développement international Desjardins

Providing technical support and investment to the most disadvantaged communities on the planet and with the necessary means for self-organization so that they can meet their own needs.

More details - Développement international

Immigrant Investor Program

The Immigrant Investor Program offers business people and their families the opportunity to immigrate to Canada, while contributing to the expansion of this country's vibrant economy.

This program helps:

  • immigrant investors get an unconditional visa, permanent residence and, ultimately, Canadian citizenship
  • Quebec businesses get additional financing from non-repayable subsidies

Find out more

Desjardins Representative Office (Europe)

The Desjardins Representative Office (Europe) provides Europeans who want to move to Canada and Canadians who want to settle in Europe with financial support and the resources they need for their projects.

Learn about the Desjardins Representative Office (Europe).

International alliances

A study published by the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) entitled "Global 300" reveals that in 2004, the 300 largest co-operative and mutual institutions combined had a turnover of US$979 billion, the equivalent to the GDP of Canada, the 9th largest economy in the world. That's a lot of money in the hands of members of these cooperatives, but the number could be higher still.

In the context of globalization, cooperatives are havens of stability that give us control over our future. We cannot allow cooperatives to be dominated by profit maximization, a concept that is spreading to the detriment of people and communities.

Desjardins Group is involved with several international organizations aiming to promote cooperation in societies, particularly in the financial sector. Desjardins also works with organizations that assist the caisses with their offer of international services to their members.

Fédération des caisses Desjardins du Québec has adopted policies to protect its clients and reputation. In addition to its Privacy Policy, Desjardins also complies with National Instrument 24-101- Institutional Trade Matching and Settlement.

More details about compliance