France

France has one of Europe's largest banking systems, with consolidated assets of €10.5tn in March 2026, about 3.6 times GDP. It is dominated by six groups—BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole, BPCE, Société Générale, Crédit Mutuel and La Banque Postale—each directly supervised by the ECB. Three are mutual or cooperative groups whose regional banks are owned by members but which also control listed or wholesale entities, such as Crédit Agricole S.A. and Natixis. La Banque Postale is publicly owned through La Poste. The ECB's register lists 379 credit institutions in France, including specialised lenders and branches of foreign banks.