With the launch of Banx, the ambition of Proximus and Belfius was to offer a new, fully digital banking experience, "Imagined by Proximus, powered by Belfius". However, despite the innovative nature and the high level of digital user experience, it proved very difficult to develop a new banking app and brand, and to achieve sufficient scale in an already mature market.

Belfius and Proximus are therefore convinced that they can better achieve the initial objective of the partnership by building on the established banking offering of Belfius on the one hand and the Proximus+ app launched earlier this year on the other. With Proximus+ as their daily digital companion, users can count on a wide range of services related to energy, mobility and, in the future, budget management, all within one and the same app.

This will create an offer whereby Proximus customers can enjoy a number of exclusive benefits when they subscribe to the Belfius banking offer, provided they meet all the conditions defined by Belfius. The aim is to launch this exclusive offer in coming months.

What does the future hold for current Banx customers?

To best guide current Banx customers through this transition, the necessary support and communication will be provided through Banx channels. Banx customers will be personally informed of the discontinuation starting in October and will be assisted in migrating to Belfius, if they wish, taking advantage of a commercial benefit under certain conditions, or in closing their account.

Building on a successful relationship

With the decision to discontinue the Banx service in its current form and to adapt the offer, Belfius and Proximus are fully committed to building on the strengths of their collaboration, providing customers of both companies with a particularly attractive offer.

The second part of the partnership, which involves selling Proximus telecom packs through the Belfius channels under the name "Beats", will continue. Since the launch of Beats in 2021, sales of Beats telecom packs have quadrupled, contributing significantly to the commercial success of both partners.

Proximus and Belfius therefore remain convinced that joining forces was the right strategic decision. With the future exclusive Belfius offer for Proximus customers, they aim to further strengthen their collaboration and give their customers access to a unique and advantageous mix of telecom and banking products.

"We are generally very satisfied with the strategic collaboration with Belfius, but innovation also means taking time to reflect and making adjustments where necessary. This decision does not change our ambition to provide our customers with relevant experiences in a variety of areas where we can make a difference. We want to continue to play a role in the fintech ecosystem and develop solutions that help our customers with important aspects of their daily life, supported by our digital companion Proximus+," said Guillaume Boutin, Chief Executive Officer of the Proximus Group.

"In 2021, Belfius and Proximus laid the foundations for a unique strategic partnership. We kicked off a successful innovation with the launch of Beats, an exclusive combined telecom and banking offer on the Belgian market. We will build on this successful collaboration by allowing Proximus customers to enjoy exclusive benefits on Belfius' strong offering," said Marc Raisière, CEO of Belfius Bank & Insurance.