List of Banks in France
The French banking system is well organized and stable. 95% of SMEs obtain at least 80% or more of the investment loans they requested. Currently, there are approximately 300 banks operating in France including foreign financial institutions. The Bank of France (Banque de France), created by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1800, is the central bank of the country. French banks are among the safest financial institutions in the world. The Global Finance list of the 50 safest banks in Europe includes 10 French banks. Here's a list of the major and popular banks in France.
Top 5 Banks in France
Below are the top five banks in France ranked by total assets in billions of U.S. dollars.
| Rank | Bank name | Total assets, US$b |
| 1 | BNP Paribas | 2,865 |
| 2 | Credit Agricole Group | 2,728 |
| 3 | Societe Generale | 1,719 |
| 4 | BPCE Group * | 1,708 |
| 5 | Caisse des Depots (CDC) ** | 1,468 |
Total assets as of December 31, 2023.
* Groupe BPCE operates through two retail banking networks: Caisse d’Epargne and Banque Populaire.
** Caisse des dépôts et consignations (CDC) is a national public finance institution and a long-term investor.
BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas, headquartered in Paris, is an international financial services group with operations in 65 countries and 190,000 employees. It is the largest bank in France and the second largest in Europe by assets. The company’s main business divisions are Commercial & Personal Banking, Corporate & Institutional Banking (CIB) and Investment & Protection Services. BNP Paribas shares are traded on Euronext Paris, SEAQ International and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
Credit Agricole
Credit Agricole Group is a cooperative financial organization with over 53 million customers, 9,500 retail branches and 147,000 employees worldwide. The company is the second largest bank in France and the third largest in Europe based on total assets. Credit Agricole is the leading asset manager and bancassurance group in Europe, No 1 lender to the French economy and No 1 real estate investor in France. The Group includes 39 regional banks and 2,500 local credit institutions.
Societe Generale
Societe Generale (SocGen), established in 1864, is a multinational banking group based in Paris. The company’s key business segments are French Retail Banking, International Retail Banking, Insurance & Financial Services and Global Banking & Investor Solutions. The Group serves more than 26 million clients and employs over 131,000 people worldwide. The company’s domestic network includes approximately 1,900 retail branches.
BPCE Group
BPCE is No. 1 banking player in consumer credit. It is a cooperative banking group with over 35 million customers, 9.8 million cooperative shareholders,101,000 employees and €22 billion in net revenue. The company operates through the following subsidiaries: 14 Banques Populaires, 15 Caisses d’Epargne, Natixis, Credit Foncier, Banque Palatine and Oney. As of December 31, 2024, the Group had total assets of €1.58 trillion, gross outstanding loans of €964 billion, customer deposits & savings of €918 billion and assets under management (AUM) of €1.3 trillion.
Credit Mutuel
Credit Mutuel group is a cooperative financial network with more than 37 million customers, 2,000 local banks and 5,300 branches including 4,800 offices in France. Credit Mutuel was founded in 1882 and today employs around 85,000 people. The company has an international presence in 13 European countries. It is one of the best banks in France according to Global Finance magazine.
La Banque Postale
La Banque Postale, with its subsidiary CNP Assurances, is the leading bancassurance group in France. The company serves more than 20 million private and business customers through over 17,000 retail outlets including 7,700 post offices and ATMs. Today, it is the 11th largest bank in the Eurozone and the second largest life insurance company in France. La Banque Postale operates as a division of the national postal service La Poste. The Bank has a long-term credit rating of A+ from Standard & Poor's, A2 from Moody's and A from Fitch, with a stable outlook.
HSBC France
HSBC Continental Europe (formerly known as HSBC France) is the largest foreign bank in the country. The company offers commercial, investment and private banking services, wealth management, mobile and online banking as well as support for institutional investors, large corporates and governments. In 2024, HSBC completed the sale of its retail banking operations in France to Crédit Commercial de France (CCF), a division of My Money Group.
Caisse des Depots
Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC), established in 1816, is a government-related financial institution engaged in long-term investments to support economic development in the country. It is rated Aa2 by Moody’s and AA by Fitch and Standard & Poor’s.
BRED Banque Populaire
BRED Banque Populaire is a major cooperative bank with more than 1.3 million customers, 200,000 members, over 400 branches and 6,300 employees in France and French overseas territories including Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyana, La Réunion and Mayotte, among others.
Credit Cooperatif
Crédit Coopératif is a diversified banking group providing a broad array of traditional financial products and services especially to businesses and organizations. It was founded in 1893 and today employs around 1,950 people. The company is a subsidiary of BPCE.
AXA Banque
AXA Banque France is a retail banking subsidiary of the leading global insurance company AXA Group. With about 800,000 customers, it offers a range of traditional banking products and services including current and savings accounts, consumer and vehicle loans, mortgages, Visa debit and credit cards, online banking, mobile app, foreign currency exchange and other services.
Major High Street Banks
BNP Paribas
Société Générale
Crédit Agricole
Caisse d‘Epargne
Banque Populaire
La Banque Postale
Crédit Mutuel
LCL (previuosly Credit Lyonnais)
See also: Largest French Banks
Popular online banks in France
Hello Bank! is a French digital mobile bank offering banking, insurance and brokerage services. It offers free all-in payment account, savings, Visa credit cards, mortgages, installment loans and more. Hello Bank is a division of BNP Paribas.
BoursoBank (formerly Boursorama Banque) is a subsidiary of Societe Generale. It offers a full range of banking services including free bank accounts, personal and real estate loans, savings solutions, auto and home insurance, stock market products and small business banking.
Fortuneo is a mobile bank operating as a subsidiary of Crédit Mutuel Arkéa. It offers current and savings accounts, debit cards, personal and real estate loans, stock trading, life insurance and other services.
Monabanq is a French online bank operating as a subsidiary of Cofidis Group, which majority owned by Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale. Monabanq provides a broad array of retail banking products and services.
BforBank serves over 230,000 customers. Its offerings are current accounts, debit cards, savings and investment products, mortgage and consumer loans, insurance and more. BforBank is a subsidiary of Crédit Agricole Group.
Last updated March 30, 2025