Module XIII·Article III·~2 min read
Banks and Loans in French
Finance and Investment in French
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Structure of the French Banking System
Major French banks:
- BNP Paribas — the largest bank in France and one of the largest in the world
- Société Générale — the second universal bank
- Crédit Agricole — the agricultural cooperative bank (the largest by retail network)
- BPCE (Groupe Banque Populaire-Caisse d'Épargne)
- Crédit Mutuel
Banque de France — the central bank (CB) of France, member of the European Central Bank System.
AMF (Autorité des Marchés Financiers) — the capital market regulator (similar to SEC/FCA).
ACPR (Autorité de Contrôle Prudentiel et de Résolution) — prudential supervision over banks and insurers.
Credit Products
Loans to Legal Entities (crédit aux entreprises)
| French | Translation |
|---|---|
| un crédit de trésorerie | short-term liquidity loan |
| une facilité de caisse | overdraft |
| un crédit à moyen terme (CMT) | medium-term loan (2-7 years) |
| un crédit à long terme (CLT) | long-term loan (>7 years) |
| un crédit-bail (leasing) | leasing |
| un prêt garanti par l'État (PGE) | state-guaranteed loan (was in COVID) |
| une ligne de crédit revolving | revolving credit facility |
| un crédit syndiqué | syndicated loan |
| une obligation convertible | convertible bonds |
Loans to Individuals
| French | Translation |
|---|---|
| un crédit immobilier | mortgage loan |
| le prêt à taux fixe / variable | fixed-rate / variable-rate loan |
| le taux d'endettement | debt load ratio |
| le taux d'usure | maximum allowable interest rate (set by the state) |
| l'assurance emprunteur | borrower’s life insurance (mandatory in mortgage) |
| le remboursement anticipé | early repayment |
Negotiations with the Bank
Requesting a loan:
- Nous souhaitons solliciter un financement de... — We wish to request financing in the amount of...
- Notre projet nécessite un investissement de... — Our project requires investments in the amount of...
- Nous apportons [X]% en fonds propres. — We are contributing [X]% of own capital.
Discussing terms:
- Quel taux pouvez-vous nous proposer? — What rate can you offer us?
- Quelle est la durée maximale? — What is the maximum term?
- Y a-t-il des frais de dossier? — Is there an application processing fee?
- Quelles garanties exigez-vous? — What collateral do you require?
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