Subsection 2: Additional rules applicable to bank and payment services brokers and their agents

Articles in this section · 7

Article R519-28

French Monetary and Financial CodeIn force

Updated 5 Nov 2023

The intermediaries referred to in article R. 519-27 above are required to analyse a sufficient number of contracts on offer to be able to base an objective analysis of the market and recommend or propose a contract suited to the needs of the customer, including the potential customer.

They must provide customers and potential customers with information describing and comparing the different types of contract available on the market for the operations and services proposed, in a personalised manner tailored to their degree of complexity.

They must inform customers of the rules applicable to banking transactions and payment services and explain the extent of their duties and obligations.

They must ensure that they offer customers, including potential customers, the most appropriate services, transactions or contracts from among those they are in a position to offer, in a clear and precise manner. They must refrain from offering a service, transaction or contract that is not suited to the needs of the customer or potential customer.

However, where the intermediary referred to in article R. 519-27 above only provides the customer with assistance with preparatory work for carrying out a banking transaction or payment service, to the exclusion of any other form of intermediation, and without receiving remuneration in this respect from a credit institution, finance company, a payment institution, an electronic money institution that provides payment services, a participative finance intermediary, an insurance company in the context of its lending activities or a management company in the context of its AIF management activities referred to in Article L. 511-6, it may, by way of derogation from the first paragraph, limit its analysis to the contracts for which it has been asked by the customer. In this case, it is not subject to the provisions of this article, with the exception of the obligation to provide personalised information on the transactions and services for which it has been asked, adapted to their degree of complexity, and the obligation to inform the customer of the rules applicable to banking transactions and payment services and to explain the extent of its duties and obligations.

Mariela Petrova

Need help applying this article to your situation?

A registered French Lawyer explains what applies to your business — in English, fixed fee.

within 48h

Fixed Fee

Talk to a lawyer
Common Questions

Working with a corporate lawyer in France — Q&A

Any time a strategic decision changes how the company is owned, governed or contractually bound — incorporation, fundraising, M&A, restructuring, shareholder agreements, or major commercial contracts. Earlier engagement always costs less than later remediation.

A notary (notaire) is a public officer who authenticates specific deeds (mainly real-estate transfers and certain family-law acts). A corporate lawyer (avocat) advises on strategy, negotiates and drafts company documents, and represents you in disputes. The two roles complement rather than overlap.

Yes — most of our clients are foreign suppliers, investors or holding entities. We bridge the gap between French law and your home jurisdiction's expectations and deliver everything bilingually.

The SAS (Société par Actions Simplifiée) is the default choice for most international structures: flexible governance, single shareholder allowed, no minimum capital, and works cleanly with foreign holding entities. We assess SARL, SA, SCI on the merits when the situation calls for it.

Yes — communications with a French avocat are protected by the secret professionnel (Article 66-5 of the Law of 31 December 1971). This protection is broader than the common-law attorney-client privilege and applies to written and oral exchanges.

We work on fixed fees for clearly scoped engagements (incorporation, contract drafting, audits) and on monthly retainers for ongoing advisory. Hourly billing is the exception, not the default. You always know the cost before work starts.

Typical timeline is 2–3 weeks from KYC kick-off to RCS registration, assuming standard documentation. Holding-company structures, foreign-shareholder identification or in-kind contributions can extend this — we flag the gating items at the first meeting.

Absolutely. We routinely coordinate with your in-house counsel, expert-comptable or notaire — pragmatic collaboration is the norm, not the exception. We send them everything they need to do their part without duplicating work.

Mariela Petrova

Mariela Petrova

Avocate au Barreau de Paris

Toque #C2396

15+ Years In Corporate Practice

English · French · Russian

Ready When You Are

Talk To A Corporate
Lawyer In France.

A 20–30 minute call, in English, to scope the engagement. No obligation, no preliminary fee. You will leave the call with a clear view of what the work will cover and what it will cost.

First EngagementFixed Fee

Talk to a French lawyer.

Reply within 24 hours.

Communications protected by professional secrecy — secret professionnel de l'avocat, Article 66-5 of the Law of 31 December 1971.

Continue Reading

Related corporate services in France

01 / Setup

Setting up a French company

Choose between SAS, SARL, SA or SCI — and structure your first French entity around how you actually plan to operate.

Read More
02 / Operating

French commercial contracts

Distribution, agency, supply, services and IP licences — drafted around the protections French law actually gives.

Read More
03 / Disputes

Business disputes & litigation

Shareholder conflicts, commercial breaches and pre-litigation strategy — handled by the same team that knows the file.

Read More