List of banks in France

Allianz Bank Axa Banque

List of banks in France: more than 300 banking players

Boursorama Banque is the first French online bank and has almost 5 million customers in 2023.

Our opinion on the Fortuneo online bank: complete presentation of offers and prices. Fortuneo contact and customer service.

Our opinion on the Monabanq online bank: complete presentation of offers and prices. Monabanq contact.

N26 is a neo-banque with a bank card offer and current account without income condition. Discover the neo-banque offer at more than 1 million customers in France !

Our opinion on online bank Hello Bank! : complete presentation of offers and prices. Hello Bank contact.

Discover the Revolut neobanque and its bank card and current account offer without income condition. Full review, mobile application, security: we tell you everything about Revolut !

Our opinion and our advice on the HSBC bank: current account, credits and online services

Largest French bank, BNP Paribas offers a complete banking offer in both agency and line to meet all needs.

Our opinion and our advice on the Digital Bank My French Bank by Postal Bank: Account + Bank Card, Banking App, Prices, etc.. Quickly discover my French Bank !

Our opinion on nickel: complete presentation of nickel offers and prices, advice and contact.

Orange Bank: Complete presentation of offers and prices. Our advice, our opinion, and the contact of Orange Bank.

All about the traditional Société Générale bank: our expert opinion, full presentation of offers (current account, loan, wealth, etc.) and contact with the Société Générale network bank.

Our opinion on online bank Bforbank: complete presentation of offers and prices. Bforbank contact.

All about the ING online bank: our expert opinion, full presentation of offers (current account, credit, etc.) and online bank contact ING.

Cap on learning autonomy with the new generation Xaalys teen bank ! Return and opinion on the current account and minor card Xaalys: Teen banking application, prices, contact, insurance, etc.

Everything about Pixpay, neobank for young people from 10 to 18 years old: Details of the offer and prices, customer reviews and means of contact.

Kard is the neobank of adolescents and the whole family: for a single rate of € 4.99/month, children get a account + a bank card + an app, all driven by parents. Find the details of the offer in this guide.

Our opinion on Etoro: detailed presentation of the offers and prices of the online broker. Discover all our advice and recommendations on Etoro.

Everything about Nalo, the Robo-Advisors specializing in life management life insurance. Discover all our advice and recommendations in this guide.

Degiro: complete presentation of the online broker’s offer and prices. Find our advice, our opinion and the contact of Degiro.

• Standard green electricity (original guarantees)
• 100% online

• Standard green electricity (original guarantees)
• 100% online

Freedom Finance, the online broker who democratizes access to IPOs from $ 2,000 ! Via its Freedom24 platform, +40,000 shares, + 1500 ETF, bonds, stock options available.

Green Got is a French Ecobanque born in 2020 by Maud Caillaux in the face of the very present ecological problem on a global scale and particularly in the finance sector.

Created in 2011, Lydia revolutionized the world of online payments thanks to their applications.

A bank is a financial institution proposing to manage the financial funds of individuals and professionals, generally via the opening of a bank account, as well as credit and savings products. The banking sector in France consists of a panel of diversified actors – traditional banks, neobancs or online banks – which market heterogeneous financial services offers with different levels of bank charges. Detailed Focus of Comparabanques on the list of French banks.

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Here is the detail by offer:

• One: € 80 offered for all 1 account opening + € 100 in vouchers (for any banking mobility with Hello Start +)
• Premium: 80 € offered for all 1st account opening + € 100 in vouchers (for any bank mobility with Hello Start +) + € 1 per month for 6 months

�� I open my hello bank account

�� Banks in France

THE Number of banks in France evolves over time and the economic situation of the country. After the 2008 financial crisis, the landscape of banking actors changed deeply according to the uses of consumers and the price war practiced to gain market share. Today, France has nearly 340 banks or credit establishments : Besides traditional banks, alternative banks such as neobancs arrived on the market with separate banking offers at broken prices. What are the main players in the banking sector in France ?

Traditional banks and bancassurers

Traditional banks hold the top of the pavement in France, since conventional banks represent several million customers on the territory (80 % market share)). Also called retail banks Or network banks, Traditional banks are made up of physical agencies where the consumer can go to carry out any type of banking operations (from the opening of bank account to checks), the subscription and management of real estate or credit loans to consumption, or the subscription of a savings product (life insurance or booklets).

The traditional bank has the undeniable advantage ofensure physical presence via its agency network. It also conveys the image of financial solidity to the population. Nevertheless, the evolution of practices via new technologies (the use of the Internet to remotely manage its bank account) has seen the number of banking agencies are reduced throughout French territory.

Thus, the List of traditional banks in France consists mainly of different banking groups ensuring a national presence, but also for some an important international place. Among the Top 10 of the biggest banks in the world, we find :

• There Societe Generale Founded in 1894 during the Second Empire, is the first bank in France. With a network of more than 2,000 agencies spread across France, the retail bank offers a full banking service offer for individuals and professionals. Thus, its standard bank account offer, Sobrio, or its 100 % online offer, Kapsul. The traditional bank also offers a full range of savings products (several types of booklets: A, LDD, LEP, PEL, etc.) and consumer credits;
• LCL or Crédit Lyonnais is a retail bank founded in 1863 offering two current account flagship offers for individuals: “LCL à la carte” where the consumer chooses only the services he needs, and “LCL Essential” the bank package (Current account + Card banking + rib) accessible only online. The LCL group completes its offer with classic financial products around savings (booklet A, Cherry booklet, Zebulon booklet, etc.), credit (mortgage, consumer credit) and even stock market placement;
• THE BNP Paribas group is a truck in the banking sector in France born in 1872. With nearly 6.5 million customers and several banking subsidiaries (Hello Bank!, Nickel account), the traditional bank offers classic current account services for the individual (the à la carte bank account and the packaged free spirit formula), as well as a set of financial products ranging from savings (young booklet, lep , housing savings, term savings, life insurance), credits and stock market investments;
• THE Agricultural credit is the 1st mutualist bank in France founded in 1885. The retail bank offers a full range of banking and financial products, such as current accounts associated with a bank card (the two bank packs “Eko by Ca” and “Globe Trotter”, and the tailor-made offer ” Account to compose ”), classic savings and credits, as well as home and provident insurance;
• THE BPCE Group Born of the rapprochement of large banking groups “Banque Populaire” and “Savings Fund”. The Banque Populaire Network Bank markets package offers packaged around the opening of current account (essential crystal range, comfort crystal and premium crystal), as well as offers of financial products (savings, consumer credit, insurance and foresight) ;
• THE HSBC group Founded in 1865 is an international British banking group having a presence in France via its HSBC bank for individuals (hexagon banking pack), savings and life insurance solutions as well as real estate, insurance and products credits investment on the stock market;
• Bank Axa The result of the AXA group specializing in insurance and provident. The traditional bank markets a classic current account offer + an Oligo Axa Banque bank pack. Coming from a renowned insurance company, Axa Banque is also a bancassurer and therefore offers diversified insurance products.

The largest bank in the world: is it French ? No, she is not French. The largest bank in the world and the world’s largest bank in terms of wealth is the industrial and commercial bank of China (ICBC). It has a total asset of $ 4,322 billion and a market capitalization of $ 242 billion, and it belongs to 70% to the Chinese government.

Online banks

Faced with a constantly evolving banking market combined with new consumer practices, traditional banks have launched a new form of bank: Online banks, a 100 % digital version of the network bank. As subsidiaries of large banking groups, online banks are made up of similar financial products (exception of insurance for some), but are distinguished from their parent company by theAttractiveness of their banking costs (costs on low or even free current operations), as well as all of their online controllable services (management of its remote account independently).

For example, Boursorama Banque which has nearly 2 million customers in France, belongs to the traditional Société Générale bank, BforBank is a subsidiary of Crédit Agricole, or the online bank Hello Bank comes from the Crédit Agricole group.

Online banks have introduced new advantageous pricing grids: consult our guide for the best free online banks

From 0 €/month

• Welcome card : Free
• Ultim card : Free
• Metal card : € 9.90 per month

• Current account
• Minor account
• Common account
• Pro account
• Saving
• Real estate and personal credit loan
• Sotck exchange

From 0 €/month

• Fosfo card : 0 € per month
• Gold CB Mastercard : 0 € per month under conditions
• World Master CB Master MasterCard : 0 € per month under conditions

• Current account
• Common account
• Saving
• Real estate and personal credit loan
• Sotck exchange

• Minor account
• Pro account

• Classic card: 0 € per month
• Gold card: 0 € per month
• Infinite card: € 16.67 per month

✔️ Current account
❌ Minors account
✔️ Common account
✔️ Pro account
✔️ Savings
✔️ Real estate and personal credit
✔️ BOURSE

From 3 €/month

• Visa Classic card: between € 2 and € 11 per month
• First visa card: between € 5 and € 12 per month
• Visa Platinum card: between € 11 and € 18 per month
• Prices according to the chosen card

• Current account
• Young account
• Common account
• Pro account
• Saving
• Real estate and personal credit loan
• Sotck exchange

From 0 €/month

• Hello One and Hello One Duo: 0 € per month
• Hello Prime: € 5 per month
• Hello Prime Duo: € 8 per month

• Current account
• Minor account
• Common account
• Pro account
• Saving
• Real estate and personal credit loan
• Sotck exchange

Classification according to a set of criteria defined by comparabanques. Updated data September 2023

Mobile or neobank banks

Néobanques or mobile banks are part of the latest generation of bank to have arrived on the market for financial institutions. The offers of banking products of neobanques attract many consumers for their very attractive costs (free on most current operations and free bank card).

Moreover, aspayment institution, mobile banks have a special status – unlike the traditional banks or online banks designated as a credit establishment – which does not allow them to market other financial products (insurance and savings). Nevertheless, some exceptions exist, and some neobancs are full -fledged banking establishments.

Their offer focuses on essential banking products: bank account without authorized overdraft + CB with systematic authorization + mobile application. The provision of a checkbook is generally absent from neobanque offers.

Practices, flexible and accessible for many individuals (including banking prohibitions), neobank offers benefit from some, from a dazzling success story like Nickel, N26, Revolut or Orange Bank.

Comparabanques gives a List of neobanques among the best banks on the market in France ::

• there neo-banque n26 Born in 2013 in Berlin. The mobile bank arrives on the market in 2015 and markets 4 bank account offers (N26 Standard, N26 SMART, N26 You and N26 METAL);
• there Neo Banque Revolut Born in 2015 offers two current account offers: Revolut Standard and Revolut Premium;
• Orange Bank Born in 2017 markets 3 bank account offers + CB: the standard card, the premium card, and the premium banking pack;
• Nickel Born in 2014, is the mobile bank for all accessible even to banking prohibitions. 2 current account offers are available: Nickel (Current account + Mastercard Nickel Standard + Mobile Application) and Nickel Chrome (Current account + Gold Mastercard Nickel + Mobile Application).
• Bunq Arrives on the French market in 2018 with several current account offers according to its user profile (Bunq Travel, Bunq Premium, Bunq Business, the Bunq pack);
• Eko by Ca is a subsidiary mobile bank of the traditional agricultural credit bank. Born in 2017, Eko by CA offers two current account offers (the classic EKO offer and the EKO Globe-Trotter offer for a young audience between 18-30 years).

List of private banks

THE private banks occupy a special place in the world of banks for individuals. This type of banks offer high-end services and financial products to its customers, such as wealth management and prestigious financial investment management. There private bank is mainly aimed at wealthy customers with financial capital and wealth, and ready to invest them in a Placement on stock market portfolio.

Some traditional banks include a private banking division Among all of their services:

• Société Générale Private Banking;
• LCL Private Bank;
• HSBC Private Banking;
• BNP Paribas Private Bank;
• BPE Banque Privée European (Postal Bank group).

�� Specialized credit institutions

Besides conventional banks, the banking sector has a particular type of establishment: specialized credit institutions Or financial companies. Credit institutions generally market consumer credits (credit assigned to a specific property or service such as the work or car loan, or the personal loan), but also real estate and real estate credits.

THE main specialized credit organizations Known on the market are Cofinoga, Cofidis, Cetelem, Oney Bank or Younited Credit.

�� Banks and the banking system: what organization ?

The French banking sector brings together a diversity of players around multiple fundraising, savings, financial investment activities, etc. COMPARABANQUES DECRYPTING.

All banks or credit institutions: Universal Bank, Mutual Bank, Public Bank

In France, the banking system is broken down into different types of banking establishments. What is commonly called “banks”, are also called ” retail banks ” Or “credit institution“”. Banks are the first interlocutors of individuals regarding the management of their financial funds. They received an approval from the authorities in order to exercise the activity ofcredit institution. Their missions are very diverse: management of payment means (CB, checks, banknotes), secure banking transactions, grant loans and credits, distribute savings products (booklets and life insurance), perform exchange operations, and ensure a role of advice to individuals/companies. Their financial services are aimed at individuals, small businesses and liberal professions.

There are three main types of credit institution which mainly govern the banks system in France:

1. THE commercial banks such as LCL, Société Générale, BNP Paribas, etc. These banking establishments belong to private groups (shareholders) and are listed on the stock market;
2. THE Mutual banks such as Crédit Mutuel, Crédit Agricole, Banks Populaires, etc. These establishments are managed in cooperative mode with members (customers) and a large regional banking network everywhere in France ;
3. THE public banks such as postal banking which mostly belongs to the State.

Commercial and mutualist banks are generally designated as universal banks, Because they concentrate a whole set of activities around retail banking, financing and asset investment company. Online banks and neobancs enter this category of retail banks or universal banks.

Investment companies or stock market brokers

THE asset investment companies are financial institutions authorized via an approval in the management of asset portfolio (reception and passage of stock exchange, negotiation, investment advice, etc.)). Evolution of the market obliges, we distinguish conventional brokerage companies, online brokers exercising their activity exclusively remotely such as online banks or neobancas. We can name Degiro, Etoro, Direct Bourse, Boursorama, Fortuneo, Bforbank.

�� Bank and surveillance: what are the control organizations ?

The activities of the French banking system are controlled by various organizations guaranteeing quality, sustainability and financial security, among which is to be distinguished:

1. L’Prudential control and resolution authority (ACPR) is the main organization issuing approvals authorizing the exercise of establishments, as a credit establishment, payment establishment, financial institution and asset investment companies. His control missions lead him to ensure the application of the regulations in force with regard to consumer protection (bank customers, insurance contracts, etc.);
2. L’Financial Markets Authority (AMF) is a public organization that controls and governs the issuance of approvals of brokerage companies or online brokers. The AMF ensures financial market regulation and savings protection;
3. there Bank of France is a central bank whose main missions are to guarantee monetary policy in France with regard to the regulations in force in the euro zone. The Banque de France is part of the Eurosystem, the institution having authority to conduct the monetary policy of the European Union, in particular the financial stability of the Euro. The Eurosystem is made up of the European Central Bank BCE, and the various national central banks of the Member States.

List of banks in France

The list of banks in France can be divided into several categories: online banks, neo-banks, traditional banks, foreign banks in France.

Online banks:

Ing Bank Boursorama

Monabanq Fortuneo

Hello Bank! Bforbank

Orange Bank N26

Traditional banks:

Société Générale Banque Palatine

Banque Populaire La Banque Postale

BNP Paribas Group BPCE

Caisse d’Epargne CIC

Credit of the North Crédit Maritime

Crédit Mutuel LCL

Direct Tookam

Milleis HSBC France

Foreign establishments in France:

American Express Saxo Bank

Insurers who offer the bank, or “bancassurance”:

Allianz Bank Axa Banque

Closed or transformed banks:

BNP Brittany So on

BANCLAY BANK

David Audran

Culturebanque blog manager. Professional experience in retail, corporate finance and financial analysis.