By Elizabeth Howcroft and Mathieu Rosemain

PARIS (Reuters) -London-based financial technology company Revolut has hired Frederic Oudea, the former CEO of France’s Societe Generale, as chairman of its Western Europe hub in Paris, as it prepares to apply for a banking licence in the country.

The hire underscores Revolut’s aggressive expansion, as it enlists a heavyweight of France’s corporate establishment.

The former SocGen chief, who also chairs pharmaceuticals giant Sanofi, adds clout as the fast-growing challenger bank seeks to scale its services and credibility.

Revolut announced in May that it planned to invest 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) over the next three years expanding in France, opening a new office in Paris for its Western Europe operations.

Revolut is the biggest of a n

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