comScore Reveals Top 15 Online Banking Properties in Europe

LONDON, April 16 /PRNewswire/ --

-- 1/3 of Total European Internet Audience Visited Online Banking Sites in February

-- comScore Chairman Gian Fulgoni and SVP Paul Goode to Speak at Valencia Festival of Media

comScore, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released its first ever ranking of the most visited online banking properties in Europe, based on February 2009 data from the comScore World Metrix audience measurement service. In total, 104 million European Internet users visited an online banking property during the month, representing more than one-third of Europe's total online population.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080115/COMSCORELOGO)

Credit Agricole Ranks as the Most Popular Online Bank in Europe

In February, the most popular online banking property in Europe was French-owned Credit Agricole, with 8.9 million visitors, followed by two U.K. properties, Lloyds Banking Group plc (7.3 million visitors) and The Royal Bank of Scotland (7 million visitors). HSBC, the world's most popular non-U.S. banking property, ranked seventh with 5.3 million European visitors.

"Banking has become an important online consumer activity, and this is especially true in these uncertain economic times," said comScore co-founder and chairman, Gian Fulgoni. "The global recession has made people more aware of the value of money, more focused on their savings, and more determined than ever to keep a close watch on their spending. Online banking has made personal financial management significantly easier, but it also represents an important channel for banks to be able to manage their customer relationships during a time when maintaining customer trust and loyalty is paramount."

    
    Top 15 Online Banking Properties
    Ranked by Total European Unique Visitors (000)*
    February 2009
    Total Europe, Age 15+ - Home & Work Locations
    Source: comScore World Metrix
                                       Total
                                       Unique
                                      Visitors
             Property                   (000)
    Total European Internet
     Audience                          305,653
    Banking                            103,586
    Credit Agricole                      8,927
    Lloyds Banking Group plc             7,324
    The Royal Bank Of Scotland           6,976
    Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe              6,679
    Societe Generale                     6,538
    BNP Paribas                          5,902
    HSBC                                 5,269
    Barclays Bank                        5,210
    Citigroup                            4,842
    Swedbank                             4,314
    Caisse d'Epargne                     4,086
    UniCredit Group                      4,046
    Volksbanken-Raiffeisenbanken         3,667
    Rabobank Group                       3,213
    Grupo Santander                      3,082
    * Excludes traffic from public computers such as Internet cafes or access
      from mobile phones or PDAs.

Online Banking Penetration Highest in Netherlands

Of the 17 European countries individually reported by comScore Media Metrix, online banking usage was highest in the Netherlands, where more than half (52.9 percent) of the country's total online population engaged in the activity. Online banking had the lowest reach in Russia, where only 6 percent of the total online population visited an online banking site in February.

Overall, France had the highest share of online banking customers in Europe with 16.9 percent, followed by the U.K. (16.4 percent), Germany (14.3 percent) and Spain (6.2 percent).

    
    European Online Banking Reach By Country
    February 2009
    Total Europe, Age 15+ - Home & Work Locations*
    Source: comScore World Metrix
           Country                 % Reach of         % Share of
                                  Total Country      Total European
                                      Online         Online Banking
                                    Population           Users
    Europe                             33.9%            100.0%
    Netherlands                        52.9%              6.1%
    France                             49.9%             16.9%
    Sweden                             48.4%              2.7%
    United Kingdom                     46.1%             16.4%
    Belgium                            39.0%              2.0%
    Germany                            38.6%             14.3%
    Denmark                            36.7%              1.2%
    Spain                              35.2%              6.2%
    Norway                             34.4%              1.0%
    Finland                            33.1%              1.0%
    Ireland                            28.4%              0.5%
    Turkey                             28.0%              4.6%
    Italy                              26.9%              5.5%
    Austria                            23.4%              1.0%
    Portugal                           17.2%              0.6%
    Switzerland                        15.9%              0.7%
    Russia                              6.0%              1.7%
    All Other**                         N/A              18.0%
    * Excludes traffic from public computers such as Internet cafes or access
      from mobile phones or PDAs.

comScore Chairman and SVP to Speak at Festival of Media, Valencia

comScore co-founder and chairman, Gian Fulgoni, will speaking at the Festival of Media, Valencia, on Monday 20 April. Mr. Fulgoni will explain how data can provide both the catalyst and the opportunity for dramatic changes in media markets, and he will share some new insights into what is happening in today's turbulent online advertising industry.

Mr. Goode, comScore VP, will also be speaking at the event, alongside the GSMA's Henry Stevens to introduce the joint comScore GSMA Mobile Media Metrics program. comScore will also be present in the press room at the event, offering direct data support to reporters covering the digital media industry.

If you are planning on attending and would like to arrange an interview with Mr. Fulgoni or Mr. Goode please contact Jamie Gavin on +44-(0)207-099-1775 or worldpress@comscore.com.

About comScore

comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world. For more information, please visit http://www.comscore.com/boilerplate

Jamie Gavin of comScore, Inc., +44-(0)-207-099-1775, worldpress@comscore.com. Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080115/COMSCORELOGO