Banque de France

The Banque de France is an independent institution of the French Republic that has guarded the nation’s currency and financial system for over two hundred years. It is a key player in France’s economic and financial system, performing public service and general interest missions for public and private sector operators.

Today, as a member of the Eurosystem, the Banque de France provides a public service to French and European citizens by ensuring the smooth financing of the economy and the stability of prices.

More than two centuries of history…

1800: creation by Napoléon Bonaparte
1803: exclusive right to issue banknotes
1945: nationalisation
1993: the Banque de France becomes independent
2002: changeover to the euro and introduction of the first euro banknotes