International
support

In more than 90 countries

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Christine ADAMS
Head of International Desk North America

Support by the
Crédit Agricole group

Last updated: August 2023

Crédit Agricole CIB offers a full range of corporate, investment and market banking products and services to domestic and international corporate and institutional clients. In addition to its New York headquarters, the bank has regional offices in Chicago, Houston and Menlo Park. Another Group subsidiary present in the United States is Amundi, asset manager. 

Indosuez Wealth Management in Miami provides support to international private banking clients, particularly from Latin America and Europe.

For more information, see the list of the Crédit Agricole Group’s locations.

The Crédit Agricole Group's International Desk in North America, based in Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank in New York, provides support for corporate clients, mainly startups and SMEs, in the United States. It relies on the Group's entities and a few leading American banks that have largest networks in the country.

For NBFCs, the International Desk offers the support of local law, accounting firms and its leading partners for the internationalisation of companies.

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Means of payment

With the United States

Company cheque

Bank cheque

SWIFT transfer

Bill of exchange

Promissory note

Documentary remittance

Documentary credit

Usage

Common

Weak

Common

Weak / None

Weak / None

Weak / None

Common SBLC

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Advice from the
international desk

General Information

The American market has a lot of potential for French companies but also risks. 

Before committing, it is recommended to ensure the integrity of your potential partner and to protect yourself both financially and legally. Unlike the Civil Code in France, the legal system in the United States is based on legal precedent. It is therefore important to receive legal advice when drafting a contract that clearly defines all the terms of the commercial relationship.

The American market is demanding and highly competitive. There may be differences in laws, regulations and distribution channels across states. Therefore, a niche strategy is generally preferred at the beginning and, depending on the sector, a strong regional presence should be sought rather than an average national presence.

 

Means of Payment & Banking Specificities

Banking products and vocabulary may differ from French practices. In addition, banking compliance rules are extremely strict in the USA. It is therefore strongly recommended to be accompanied by your French bank to have access to local banking services. This saves time and helps avoid pitfalls.

Some documents required to open an account may be requested such as: registration certificates, articles of incorporation, tax identification number, capitalisation table, identification of partners and signatories, and bank recommendation letter among other things.

Checks are not recommended as a means of payment. Remedies for non-payment are often costly, cumbersome and random.

Regarding the SWIFT transfer, the main American banks are the most connected. Smaller banks use a correspondent bank to make international payments, which increases cost and time. To facilitate domestic transactions, you may consider opening of a non-resident account in the United States for the French company, obtaining access to the domestic electronic payment platform. Few banks agree to opening this type of account for a foreign company, but the Crédit Agricole Group's International Desk still provides this service for the Group's clients.

The concept of credit history is very important in the country. You have to prove that you are a good payer. For local financing of a French company’s US subsidiary a guarantee from the parent company's bank may be requested in the form of a Standby Letter of Credit (SBLC).

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