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The (postal) bank, “a different bank” : postal identity vs. market rhetoric Though the creation by the La Poste group of a subsidiary specializing in loan banking, written into the May 2005 law regulating postal activities, is based on the idea that the extension of financial services is a necessary condition to ensure the modernisation and durability of the group, it should not be taken lightly. The model of rational choice would have us believe that no other solution exists. Calling into question this deterministic view, the article shows that in order to create a successful bank, its founders must be able to instil meaning into their project, enabling them to combine the specificity of the La Poste group’s identity with market rationales, thereby countering any attempts at criticism. The project, which promotes the idea that this new bank “is not like the others”, has thus become the focal point of symbolic disagreements between political actors, representatives of the banking sector and postal workers, the bone of contention being each group’s understanding of the social and economic consequences of creating a fully-fledged “postal bank”.