Last updated: July 2022
Crédit Agricole Group is a leading global banking player (12th largest bank worldwide and 2nd European
bank by tier one capital, 47 countries covered, 141 000 employees, 51 million customers worldwide).
. It ranks no 1 in France for retail banking and is a major partner to the French economy.
• It serves a vast array of businesses from start-ups to large corporates, whether domestic or international
• Almost 1 out of 2 French companies bank with Crédit Agricole Group
• As a universal bank, CA Group offers all specialized business lines: leasing, factoring, insurance, asset management, consumer finance, etc.
Crédit Agricole Group has the largest banking network in France with the Crédit Agricole (39 regional banks, nearly 6 700 branches) and LCL brands (10 regional offices, nearly 1 700 branches).
Its 900 relationship directors and 450 International Trade Experts, at Crédit Agricole and LCL, offer clients tailor-made solutions, thanks to local back offices.
The Group has also set up a network of international desks to support its clients outside their domestic market. The same desks also support international companies wishing to develop in France.
They will help them find local banking solutions and will connect them with their extensive network of preferred partners : law firms, Chambers of Commerce, Altios International, Business France (French Government agency ) and BPI France (French Public Investment Bank).
Access the Crédit Agricole Group website
The Group also offers the Crédit Agricole Group Trade Club solution (www.ca-tradeclub.com www.tradeclub.lcl.fr) to French companies looking for business partners around the world (customers, distributors, suppliers, etc.) (www.ca-tradeclub.com and www.tradeclub.lcl.fr). This innovative BtoB digital platform connects French business customers with nearly 19,000 importers and exporters, qualified customers of major foreign banks, in 50 countries.
The Crédit Agricole Group is also present in France with its various specialised services (its branches in particular):
Find out more about all our brands and services.
General Information
Recommendations for success in business in France:
Means of Payment & Banking Specificities
Payment deadlines have generally been respected in France since the coming into force of the LME Law No. 2008-776 of 4 August 2008 which stipulates that “the deadline, agreed between the parties for the payment of the sums due, may not exceed 45 days from the end of the month or 60 days from the date of issue of the invoice”. Certain sectors, such as road transport, are, however, governed by older laws (30 days from the date of issue of the invoice).
The use of cheques on the domestic market remains common despite a net drop. France remains the largest user of cheques among the European countries (70% of cheques issued in the European Union in 2018, far ahead of the United Kingdom, which is in second place at 17.3%, according to the Banque de France); commercial bills are also used. For international transactions, the cheques,the promissory note and the bill of exchange are to be avoided, it is recommended to use bank transferts, preferably Swift or documentary credit depending on the amount. It should be noted that the use of the stand-by letter of credit in gradually tending to grow.
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