# French — Finance / Banking Sub-Lexicon

> **Scope.** This sub-lexicon covers two closely-related domains in a single per-language file: **Finance & Banking** (primary) and **Trading & Capital Markets**. The two were merged here because their vocabulary overlaps heavily (debt instruments, securities, exchange regulation) and translators typically need both at once. The two cross-language English-reference lexicons remain split: see `references/finance-banking.md` and `references/trading-capital-markets.md` as separate files.


Auto-generated from translation experience. Maps French finance/banking legal terms to
their correct English equivalents.

## Core Finance Document Terms

| French | English |
|---|---|
| privilège spécial | special lien |
| contrat de prêt / convention de crédit | facility agreement |
| prêt / financement | facility |
| banque prêteuse / établissement prêteur | lender |
| créancier garanti | secured party |
| bénéficiaire du prêt / emprunteur | borrower |
| cas d'exigibilité anticipée | enforcement event |
| cas de défaut | event of default |
| cas de défaut potentiel | potential event of default |
| période de garantie (contexte sûretés) | security period |
| montant maximum garanti | maximum secured amount |
| objet de la sûreté / assiette de la garantie | subject matter of the security |
| biens grevés | charged assets / lien assets |
| mainlevée de la sûreté | release of the security |
| inscription et publicité | registration and publicity |
| tranche à terme | term facility |
| ligne revolving / facilité renouvelable | revolving facility |
| ligne de crédit | facility / credit facility |
| taux d'intérêt | interest rate |
| intérêts de retard / intérêts moratoires | default interest |
| principal / capital | principal amount |
| échéancier de remboursement / tableau d'amortissement | repayment schedule |
| ratios financiers / engagements financiers | financial covenants |
| convention entre créanciers / accord intercréanciers | intercreditor agreement |
| subordination | subordination |
| clause de sûreté négative | negative pledge |
| remboursement anticipé obligatoire | mandatory prepayment |
| remboursement anticipé volontaire | voluntary prepayment |
| tirage / utilisation | utilisation (UK) / utilization (US) |
| conditions suspensives | conditions precedent |
| déclarations et garanties | representations and warranties |
| préambule | recitals |
| annexes | schedules |

## Security-Specific Terms

| French | English |
|---|---|
| nantissement | pledge |
| hypothèque | mortgage |
| cession de créances | assignment of receivables |
| cession de créances à titre de garantie | assignment of receivables by way of security |
| garantie autonome / garantie à première demande | on-demand guarantee |
| cautionnement | surety / guarantee |
| réalisation de la sûreté / exécution de la garantie | enforcement of the security |
| sûreté | security interest / charge |
| charge / grèvement | encumbrance |
| nantissement de parts sociales | pledge of quotas |
| nantissement d'actions | share pledge |
| nantissement de comptes | account pledge |
| compte bloqué / séquestre | charged account / pledged account / escrow account |
| droit de vote | voting rights |
| gage | pledge (movable property) |
| hypothèque conventionnelle | contractual mortgage |
| privilège de prêteur de deniers | lender's lien (on real property) |
| fiducie-sûreté | trust by way of security |
| délégation | delegation (of payment obligations) |

## Party Roles

| French | English |
|---|---|
| constituant / concédant | grantor |
| bénéficiaire de la sûreté | secured party (NOT borrower) |
| banque prêteuse | lender |
| agent / agent du crédit | agent |
| agent des sûretés | security agent |
| notaire | notary |
| garant / caution | guarantor |
| débiteur cédé | assigned debtor |
| emprunteur | borrower |
| prêteur | lender |
| chef de file / arrangeur | arranger / mandated lead arranger |

## Section Headings

| French | English |
|---|---|
| CONSTITUTION DE LA SÛRETÉ / DU NANTISSEMENT | CREATION OF THE SECURITY / PLEDGE |
| ENGAGEMENTS | UNDERTAKINGS |
| DISPOSITIONS GÉNÉRALES | MISCELLANEOUS |
| LOI APPLICABLE ET JURIDICTION COMPÉTENTE | GOVERNING LAW AND JURISDICTION |
| NOTIFICATIONS | NOTICES |
| IMPÔTS, DROITS ET FRAIS | TAXES, DUTIES AND EXPENSES |
| CAS D'EXIGIBILITÉ | ENFORCEMENT EVENTS |
| REMBOURSEMENT ANTICIPÉ | PREPAYMENT |
| AGRÉMENT | AUTHORIZATION / LICENSING |
| EXIGENCES PRUDENTIELLES | PRUDENTIAL REQUIREMENTS |
| GOUVERNANCE | GOVERNANCE |
| CONFORMITÉ | COMPLIANCE |
| LCB-FT | AML/CTF |
| REPORTING RÉGLEMENTAIRE | REGULATORY REPORTING |
| SANCTIONS | SANCTIONS |
| RÉSOLUTION | RESOLUTION |

## Legal Formulae

| French | English |
|---|---|
| sûreté non limitative | non-exclusive security |
| à titre universel ou particulier | whether by way of universal or individual succession |
| successeurs et ayants cause | successors and assigns |
| patrimoine | estate (insolvency) / assets (commercial) |
| avenant à l'acte | amendment of the Deed |

## Notes

- **"Cautionnement"** (Art. 2288 Code civil): Personal guarantee where the guarantor
  undertakes to pay the creditor if the debtor defaults. Translate as "surety" or
  "guarantee" depending on context.
- **"Fiducie-sûreté"**: A trust-based security mechanism introduced in 2007. No direct
  English equivalent — translate as "trust by way of security" with a note if needed.
- **"Privilège de prêteur de deniers"**: A specific French lien on real property granted
  to the lender who financed the purchase. Translate as "lender's lien" with context note.
- **LMA standard**: English finance documents follow Loan Market Association conventions.
  Align terminology with LMA standards where possible.

- **ACPR**: The Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution is the French
  banking supervisor (under the Banque de France). Keep the abbreviation "ACPR"
  and translate on first mention.
- **"Établissement de crédit"**: The regulated entity category for banks under French
  and EU law. Always translate as "credit institution" in regulatory contexts.
- **"Déclaration de soupçon"**: The French SAR/STR, filed with Tracfin. Translate as
  "suspicious activity report" (SAR) in UK context or "suspicious transaction report"
  (STR) in EU/international context.
- **LMA alignment**: For syndicated lending terms, align with Loan Market Association
  (LMA) conventions — "facility agent" (not "administrative agent"), "majority lenders"
  (not "required lenders", which is US/LSTA).

## Core Banking Regulatory Terms

| French | English |
|---|---|
| établissement de crédit | credit institution |
| banque | bank |
| société de financement | finance company |
| entreprise d'investissement | investment firm |
| prestataire de services de paiement (PSP) | payment service provider (PSP) |
| établissement de monnaie électronique | electronic money institution |
| agrément bancaire | banking licence (UK) / banking license (US) |
| autorisation / agrément | authorisation (UK) / authorization (US) |
| passeport européen | European passport / passporting |
| libre prestation de services | freedom to provide services |
| liberté d'établissement | freedom of establishment |
| succursale | branch |
| filiale | subsidiary |
| bureau de représentation | representative office |
| Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution (ACPR) | Prudential Supervisory and Resolution Authority (ACPR) |
| Banque de France | Bank of France |
| Banque centrale européenne (BCE) | European Central Bank (ECB) |
| Mécanisme de surveillance unique (MSU) | Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) |
| Mécanisme de résolution unique (MRU) | Single Resolution Mechanism (SRM) |

## Prudential and Capital Requirements

| French | English |
|---|---|
| fonds propres | own funds / regulatory capital |
| fonds propres de base de catégorie 1 (CET1) | Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) |
| fonds propres additionnels de catégorie 1 (AT1) | Additional Tier 1 (AT1) |
| fonds propres de catégorie 2 (T2) | Tier 2 (T2) |
| ratio de solvabilité | capital adequacy ratio / solvency ratio |
| ratio de levier | leverage ratio |
| exigences de fonds propres | capital requirements |
| coussin de conservation de fonds propres | capital conservation buffer |
| coussin contracyclique | countercyclical buffer |
| coussin pour les établissements d'importance systémique | systemic importance buffer |
| actifs pondérés en fonction des risques (RWA) | risk-weighted assets (RWA) |
| ratio de liquidité à court terme (LCR) | liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) |
| ratio de financement stable net (NSFR) | net stable funding ratio (NSFR) |
| Bâle III / Bâle IV | Basel III / Basel IV |
| CRR / CRD | CRR (Capital Requirements Regulation) / CRD (Capital Requirements Directive) |

## AML/KYC Terms

| French | English |
|---|---|
| lutte contre le blanchiment de capitaux (LCB) | anti-money laundering (AML) |
| lutte contre le financement du terrorisme (FT) | counter-terrorist financing (CTF) |
| connaissance du client (KYC) | know your customer (KYC) |
| obligation de vigilance | customer due diligence (CDD) |
| vigilance renforcée | enhanced due diligence (EDD) |
| vigilance simplifiée | simplified due diligence (SDD) |
| déclaration de soupçon | suspicious activity report (SAR) / suspicious transaction report (STR) |
| Tracfin | Tracfin (French Financial Intelligence Unit) |
| personne politiquement exposée (PPE) | politically exposed person (PEP) |
| bénéficiaire effectif | beneficial owner / ultimate beneficial owner (UBO) |
| sanctions financières | financial sanctions |
| embargo | embargo |
| liste de sanctions | sanctions list |
| filtrage / criblage | screening |
| tiers équivalent | equivalent third country |

## Syndicated Lending Terms

| French | English |
|---|---|
| prêt syndiqué / crédit syndiqué | syndicated loan / syndicated facility |
| teneur de livres | bookrunner |
| syndicat bancaire | banking syndicate / lending syndicate |
| participation | participation / commitment |
| cession de participation | transfer of participation / assignment |
| sous-participation | sub-participation |
| convention de sous-participation | sub-participation agreement |
| décision majoritaire | majority lender decision |
| prêteurs majoritaires | majority lenders |
| marché secondaire (prêts) | secondary loan market |

## Resolution and Recovery

| French | English |
|---|---|
| plan préventif de rétablissement | recovery plan |
| plan préventif de résolution | resolution plan |
| renflouement interne / bail-in | bail-in |
| renflouement externe / bail-out | bail-out |
| MREL (exigence minimale de fonds propres et d'engagements éligibles) | MREL (minimum requirement for own funds and eligible liabilities) |
| TLAC (capacité totale d'absorption des pertes) | TLAC (total loss-absorbing capacity) |
| Fonds de résolution unique (FRU) | Single Resolution Fund (SRF) |
| Fonds de garantie des dépôts et de résolution (FGDR) | Deposit Guarantee and Resolution Fund (FGDR) |

## Additional Lawlinguists-validated French Finance / Banking Mappings

| French | English |
|---|---|
| Code monétaire et financier (CMF) | French Monetary and Financial Code |
| Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) | Financial Markets Authority |
| Trésor / Direction générale du Trésor | Treasury / Directorate-General of the Treasury |
| établissement de paiement | payment institution |
| prestataire de services d'investissement (PSI) | investment services provider |
| monopole bancaire | banking monopoly (Art. L. 511-5 CMF — restriction on non-banks granting credit) |
| opération de banque | banking operation (deposit-taking, credit, payment services) |
| crédit-bail | finance lease / leasing |
| affacturage | factoring |
| escompte | discount |
| Dailly (cession de créances professionnelles) | Dailly assignment of business receivables (Loi Dailly — Arts. L. 313-23 et seq. CMF) |
| titrisation | securitization |
| fonds commun de créances (historic) / fonds commun de titrisation (FCT) | common securitization fund |
| organisme de titrisation | securitization vehicle |
| obligations foncières | French covered bonds |
| société de crédit foncier | real-estate credit company (issuer of obligations foncières) |
| société de financement de l'habitat | housing financing company (issuer of French covered bonds) |
| BCE / ECB | European Central Bank |
| fonds propres de base (CET1) | Common Equity Tier 1 |
| MREL (exigence minimale de fonds propres et engagements éligibles) | Minimum Requirement for own funds and Eligible Liabilities |
| bail-in / renflouement interne | bail-in |
| résolution bancaire | bank resolution |
| LCB-FT (Lutte Contre le Blanchiment de capitaux et le Financement du Terrorisme) | AML / CFT |
| gel des avoirs | asset freezing |
| PEP (personne politiquement exposée) | politically exposed person |
| KYC / connaissance du client | know your customer |
| GAFI / FATF | Financial Action Task Force |
| Euronext Paris | Euronext Paris (previously Bourse de Paris) |
| Euronext Growth | Euronext Growth (SME Growth Market) |
| Euronext Access | Euronext Access (multilateral trading facility) |
| prospectus | prospectus (Regulation (EU) 2017/1129) |
| OPA (offre publique d'acquisition) | public takeover offer |
| OPE (offre publique d'échange) | exchange offer |
| OPR (offre publique de retrait) | public withdrawal offer |
| retrait obligatoire / squeeze-out | squeeze-out |
| pacte d'actionnaires | shareholders' agreement |
| opérations d'initiés | insider dealing |
| manipulation de marché | market manipulation |
| information privilégiée | inside information |

---

## Trading & Capital Markets — French

Auto-generated from translation experience. Maps French trading and capital markets legal
terms to their correct English equivalents.

## Core Trading and Derivatives Terms

| French | English |
|---|---|
| contrat-cadre ISDA | ISDA Master Agreement |
| contrat-cadre FBF | FBF Master Agreement |
| annexe / supplément | schedule / supplement |
| confirmation | confirmation |
| transaction / opération | transaction |
| instrument dérivé / produit dérivé | derivative / derivative instrument |
| contrat à terme de gré à gré | forward contract |
| contrat à terme standardisé / future | futures contract |
| option | option |
| option d'achat | call option |
| option de vente | put option |
| swap / échange | swap |
| swap de taux d'intérêt | interest rate swap (IRS) |
| swap de devises | currency swap / cross-currency swap |
| swap sur défaillance de crédit (CDS) | credit default swap (CDS) |
| swap de rendement total | total return swap (TRS) |
| valeur notionnelle / montant notionnel | notional amount |
| date d'entrée en vigueur | effective date |
| date d'échéance / date de résiliation | termination date / maturity date |
| date de paiement | payment date |
| date de calcul | calculation date |
| agent de calcul | calculation agent |
| taux fixe | fixed rate |
| taux variable / taux flottant | floating rate |
| indice de référence | benchmark / reference rate |
| EURIBOR | EURIBOR |
| €STR | €STR |
| marge / spread | spread / margin |

## Credit Support and Collateral

| French | English |
|---|---|
| annexe de soutien au crédit | credit support annex (CSA) |
| garantie / sûreté financière | credit support / collateral |
| appel de marge | margin call |
| marge initiale | initial margin |
| marge de variation | variation margin |
| seuil | threshold |
| montant minimum de transfert | minimum transfer amount |
| évaluation à la valeur de marché | mark-to-market valuation |
| exposition | exposure |
| compensation / netting | netting |
| compensation avec déchéance du terme / close-out netting | close-out netting |
| résiliation anticipée | early termination |
| montant de résiliation | close-out amount |

## Securities and Capital Markets

| French | English |
|---|---|
| valeurs mobilières / titres | securities |
| action | share (UK) / stock (US) |
| obligation | bond |
| titre de créance | debt instrument / debt security |
| bon du Trésor | treasury bill |
| obligation d'État | government bond |
| obligation convertible | convertible bond |
| obligation à haut rendement | high-yield bond |
| émission | issuance / offering |
| offre publique | public offering |
| placement privé | private placement |
| prospectus | prospectus |
| note d'information | offering memorandum / information memorandum |
| marché réglementé | regulated market |
| système multilatéral de négociation (SMN) | multilateral trading facility (MTF) |
| chambre de compensation | clearing house / central counterparty (CCP) |
| dépositaire central | central securities depository (CSD) |
| teneur de marché | market maker |
| carnet d'ordres | order book |
| règlement-livraison | settlement and delivery |

## Repo and Securities Lending

| French | English |
|---|---|
| pension livrée / repo | repurchase agreement (repo) |
| prêt de titres | securities lending |
| emprunt de titres | securities borrowing |
| taux de pension | repo rate |
| décote / haircut | haircut |
| contrat-cadre GMRA | GMRA (Global Master Repurchase Agreement) |
| contrat-cadre GMSLA | GMSLA (Global Master Securities Lending Agreement) |

## Regulatory Terms

| French | English |
|---|---|
| EMIR / Règlement (UE) No 648/2012 | EMIR (European Market Infrastructure Regulation) |
| MiFID II / Directive 2014/65/UE | MiFID II (Markets in Financial Instruments Directive) |
| MiFIR / Règlement (UE) No 600/2014 | MiFIR (Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation) |
| règlement sur les indices de référence (BMR) | Benchmarks Regulation (BMR) |
| règlement SFTR | SFTR (Securities Financing Transactions Regulation) |
| Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) | French Financial Markets Authority (AMF) |
| abus de marché | market abuse |
| délit d'initié / opération d'initié | insider dealing (UK) / insider trading (US) |
| manipulation de marché | market manipulation |
| obligation de déclaration / reporting | reporting obligation |
| compensation centrale | central clearing |
| contrepartie centrale (CCP) | central counterparty (CCP) |

## Section Headings

| French | English |
|---|---|
| DÉFINITIONS | DEFINITIONS |
| OPÉRATIONS | TRANSACTIONS |
| PAIEMENTS ET LIVRAISONS | PAYMENTS AND DELIVERIES |
| CAS DE DÉFAUT | EVENTS OF DEFAULT |
| CAS DE RÉSILIATION | TERMINATION EVENTS |
| COMPENSATION | NETTING |
| SÛRETÉS | CREDIT SUPPORT |
| DÉCLARATIONS | REPRESENTATIONS |
| DISPOSITIONS DIVERSES | MISCELLANEOUS |

## Notes

- **FBF vs ISDA**: The Fédération Bancaire Française (FBF) publishes its own master
  agreement for derivatives, which is used alongside or instead of the ISDA Master
  Agreement in French domestic transactions. Preserve the reference to the correct
  master agreement.
- **"Compensation avec déchéance du terme"**: The French concept of close-out netting,
  codified in the Code monétaire et financier. Translate as "close-out netting".
- **"Pension livrée"**: The French term for repo (repurchase agreement). Always translate
  as "repo" or "repurchase agreement" in market-facing documents.
- **AMF**: The Autorité des marchés financiers is the French securities regulator.
  Keep the abbreviation "AMF" and translate on first mention.
