Cardif first launched business in France in 1973, through sales of life insurance products via the Cetelem network, the consumer credit arm of the Compagnie Bancaire Group, founding shareholder of Cardif.

Distribution agreements were quickly signed with the other Compagnie Bancaire Group companies, followed by Paribas and Crédit du Nord. Banking partnerships were later established with banks, credit institutions and large distributors, outside the original group.

In 1983, Cardif decided to distribute its products through IFAs. In France, where Cardif holds 10% market share, the Cardif Network teams work with 3 000 IFAs.

International expansion began in 1989.

Today, Cardif is present in more than 40 countries.