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Payment methods in France

Europe
10methods
31banks

By 2022, French consumers made 16% of all purchases online - a 23% increase in the space of just the last three years.

Market takeaways

  • By 2022, French consumers made 16% of all purchases online - a 23% increase in the space of just the last three years.
  • French e-commerce is worth a massive US$173 billion. And by 2027, that figure will have grown to US$235 billion.
  • French consumers use digital payment methods in almost half of all online purchases. Popular payment methods include PayPal, Sepa Direct Debit, and Cashway.
  • The French buy 17% of all online purchases worth US$27 billion, from e-commerce sites based in other countries.
  • The average French online shopper spends US$2,572 a year on e-commerce. By 2027, that figure will be as high as USD$3,441.

Population

68M

Online population

60.9M

B2C e-commerce

$80B

Banked population

99%

Credit card population

70%

E-commerce of total retail

12%

Payment method breakdown

  • Card52%
  • Cash2%
  • Bank Transfer11%
  • E-Wallet27%
  • Other8%

Card scheme breakdown

  • Visa3%
  • Mastercard5%
  • American Express3%
  • Local schemes85%
  • Other4%

Cross-border e-commerce

Cross-border shoppers

64%

Share of e-commerce

17%

Cross-border value (est.)

$27.2B

Featured payment methods in France

All payment methods available in this market, sorted by prominence.

Paysafecard

Paysafecard

Paysafecard is a prepaid voucher payment method allowing consumers to pay online without a bank account or card. Vouchers are purchased at retail points of sale and redeemed with a 16-digit PIN at checkout. Switzerland is a supported Paysafecard consumer country and usage is concentrated in gaming, digital goods, and entertainment sectors.

Carte Bancaire (CB)

Carte Bancaire (CB)

France's national interbank card network, present on virtually all French bank cards alongside Visa or Mastercard co-branding. Processes ~85% of French card transactions. The "carte bleue" — synonymous with bank cards in France — runs on the CB network.

Satispay

Satispay

Italian smartphone payment network independent of cards, used for in-store, online and P2P payments. Operator: Satispay S.p.A.. Est. users: 5.5M users (2024).

Scalapay

Scalapay

Italian buy-now-pay-later provider offering interest-free instalments at online and in-store checkouts. Operator: Scalapay S.r.l. / Incremento SPV. Est. users: 4M active customers (2024).

Cofidis (3x/4x)

Cofidis (3x/4x)

French consumer-credit provider offering 3x/4x card instalment payments at e-commerce and in-store checkouts. Operator: Cofidis S.A. (Crédit Mutuel). Est. users: Millions of users in France/Europe (est.).

Wero

Wero

Pan-European bank-backed digital wallet built on SEPA instant payments, replacing schemes like Paylib and iDEAL. Operator: European Payments Initiative (EPI Company). Est. users: 14M+ users (early 2025).

Alma

Alma

French buy-now-pay-later provider offering split and deferred payments at online and in-store checkouts. Operator: Alma SAS. Est. users: 4.8M users (2024).

Paylib

Paylib

French bank-backed mobile payment wallet for P2P and online payments, being wound down in favour of Wero. Operator: Paylib Services (French banks). Est. users: ~10M users (peak, pre-2025).

Maestro

Maestro

Maestro is Mastercard's international debit scheme; new issuance ended July 2023 and remaining cards are being replaced by Debit Mastercard, with only limited e-commerce support. Operator: Mastercard. Est. users: historically hundreds of millions (cards expire by 2027).

FLOA Pay

FLOA Pay

French BNP Paribas-owned buy-now-pay-later service offering instalment and deferred payments across Europe. Operator: FLOA SA (BNP Paribas). Est. users: 4M+ customers (2024).

Featured banks in France

All banks operating in this market, sorted by prominence.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC)

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC)

Beijing, China

ICBC is the world's largest bank by total assets and the largest of China's 'Big Four' state-owned banks. It offers retail, corporate, and investment banking globally.

HSBC Holdings

HSBC Holdings

London, United Kingdom

HSBC is one of the world's largest banks by assets, headquartered in London with a dominant presence in Asia. It offers retail, commercial, and investment banking in over 60 countries.

JPMorgan Chase

JPMorgan Chase

New York, United States

JPMorgan Chase is the largest US bank and one of the world's largest financial institutions, offering consumer banking, investment banking, commercial banking, and asset management globally.

BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas

Paris, France

BNP Paribas is France's largest bank and a global top-10 financial institution, providing retail, corporate, and investment banking, insurance, and asset management across 65 countries.

Bank of America

Bank of America

Charlotte, United States

Bank of America is the second-largest US bank by assets, providing consumer banking, wealth management (Merrill Lynch), and global banking and markets services worldwide.

MUFG (Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group)

MUFG (Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group)

Tokyo, Japan

MUFG is Japan's largest bank and one of the world's largest financial groups, offering retail, corporate, investment, and trust banking globally.

Intesa Sanpaolo

Intesa Sanpaolo

Turin, Italy

Intesa Sanpaolo is Italy's largest bank and one of the Eurozone's leading financial institutions, providing retail, corporate, and investment banking in Italy and across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Crédit Agricole Group

Crédit Agricole Group

Paris, France

Crédit Agricole is the world's largest cooperative bank and France's second-largest financial group. It provides retail, corporate, insurance, and asset management services in France and internationally.

Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley

New York, United States

Morgan Stanley is a global investment bank and wealth management firm, providing institutional securities, investment management, and wealth management services worldwide.

Goldman Sachs

Goldman Sachs

New York, United States

Goldman Sachs is a leading global investment bank, providing investment banking, securities, asset management, and consumer banking (Marcus). It is a premier advisory firm for corporations and governments.

Barclays

Barclays

London, United Kingdom

Barclays is a British multinational investment bank and financial services company, operating retail banking in the UK and Ireland, and investment banking globally through Barclays Bank.

Qatar National Bank (QNB)

Qatar National Bank (QNB)

Doha, Qatar

QNB is Qatar's largest bank and the largest bank in the Middle East and Africa by total assets, operating across 31 countries.

Société Générale

Société Générale

Paris, France

Société Générale is a leading European bank offering retail banking in France and Eastern Europe, plus global markets and investment banking services.

ABN AMRO

ABN AMRO

Amsterdam, Netherlands

ABN AMRO is the Netherlands' third-largest bank, focusing on retail, private, and corporate banking primarily in the Netherlands and Northwest Europe.

Groupe BPCE

Groupe BPCE

Paris, France

Groupe BPCE is France's second-largest banking group by customers, encompassing Banque Populaire, Caisse d'Épargne, Natixis, and other entities. It is the nation's cooperative retail banking pillar.

National Bank of Canada

National Bank of Canada

Montreal, Canada

National Bank of Canada is Canada's sixth-largest bank with a strong presence in Quebec.

Crédit Mutuel

Crédit Mutuel

Strasbourg, France

Crédit Mutuel is one of France's largest cooperative banking groups, offering retail, business, and insurance products. It is the second-largest French cooperative bank with 36 million clients.

Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD)

Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD)

Lisbon, Portugal

Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD) is Portugal's largest bank and a state-owned institution, offering retail, commercial, and investment banking across Portugal and internationally.

Natixis

Natixis

Paris, France

Natixis is the corporate, investment, insurance, and financial services arm of Groupe BPCE. It provides capital markets, investment banking, and asset management globally.

Bunq

Bunq

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Bunq is a Dutch neobank founded in 2012, operating across Europe as one of the continent's fastest-growing challenger banks, known for its eco-friendly and multi-currency features.

Mediobanca

Mediobanca

Milan, Italy

Mediobanca is Italy's leading investment bank and a significant financial services group, providing corporate finance, private banking, and consumer credit.

Banque Misr Egypt

Banque Misr Egypt

Cairo, Egypt

Banque Misr is Egypt's second-largest state-owned bank, offering retail, SME, corporate, and Sharia-compliant banking.

Pictet Group

Pictet Group

Geneva, Switzerland

Pictet is a Swiss independent private bank founded in Geneva, operating as a partnership. It specialises in wealth and asset management with a global presence.

La Banque Postale

La Banque Postale

Paris, France

La Banque Postale is the banking arm of La Poste (French post office), providing retail banking, insurance, and asset management with a strong focus on financial inclusion.

CIC (Crédit Industriel et Commercial)

CIC (Crédit Industriel et Commercial)

Paris, France

CIC is a major French retail and business bank, operating under the Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale umbrella. It serves 5 million customers through a large branch network.

HSBC France

HSBC France

Paris, France

HSBC France (now rebranded as CCF following its acquisition by Cerberus) offers private, corporate, and investment banking services in France, part of the global HSBC network.

Triodos Bank

Triodos Bank

Zeist, Netherlands

Triodos Bank is a Dutch ethical bank that exclusively finances sustainable and social enterprises. It operates in the Netherlands, Belgium, UK, Germany, Spain, and France.

Lombard Odier

Lombard Odier

Geneva, Switzerland

Lombard Odier is a Swiss private bank and asset manager founded in Geneva in 1796, one of the oldest private banking partnerships in the world.

Banque de France (Central Bank)

Banque de France (Central Bank)

Paris, France

Banque de France is France's central bank and a member of the Eurosystem, responsible for monetary policy implementation, financial stability oversight, and currency issuance.

Bank Audi Lebanon

Bank Audi Lebanon

Beirut, Lebanon

Bank Audi was Lebanon's largest bank before the 2019 financial crisis. It continues to operate under severe restrictions alongside the deeply distressed banking system.

Other Banks — France

Other Banks — France

Paris, France

Aggregate of all remaining banks in France not individually listed, collectively representing ~12.3% of domestic banking assets.

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