Bank of France

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The Bank of France (French: Banque de France [bɑ̃k də fʁɑ̃s]) is the national central bank for France within the Eurosystem. It was the French central bank between 1800 and 1998, issuing the French franc. The Bank of France was originally established by Napoleon Bonaparte as a private-sector corporation with unique public status. It was granted note-issuance monopoly in Paris in 1803 and in the entire country in 1848. Long independent from direct political interference, it was brought under government control in 1936 and eventually nationalized in 1945. While other banks of issue were established in the French colonial empire, the Bank of France remained Metropolitan France's sole monetary authority until France's adoption of the euro as its currency. As of 2025, its balance sheet total was $1.818 trillion, making it the 5th largest central bank in the world. The Bank of France long held high prestige as an anchor of financial stability, especially before the monetary turmoil that followed...

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