Philippe Guichandut spoke at the Bank of France

©Philippe Lissac / Godong

From March 11 to 15, the Banque de France organized the seminar "Consumer Protection, Financial Inclusion and Education." The objective of this seminar was to highlight the missions carried out by a central bank in the areas of financial services consumer protection, financial inclusion, and financial education. These missions aim to improve consumer information, provide assistance in the event of difficulties, or prevent or resolve them. Generally carried out in accordance with laws and regulations specific to each country, these activities were compared with the approach adopted in this area by other central banks.

The topics covered were:

– Control of the commercial practices of banks and insurance companies,
– General presentation of the role of the Banque de France in the area of relations between individuals and the financial sphere and the legal protection provisions,
– The organization of relations between the banking sector and consumer organizations,
– Files of general interest managed by the Banque de France and concerning individuals,
– Public information and banking mediation in France,
– The treatment of household over-indebtedness,
– Financial inclusion and financial education.

Roundtable discussions were organized to allow for the exchange of information and experiences between participants, notably through short presentations on their national issues. Philippe Guichandut, Director of Inclusive Finance Development at the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation, was invited to speak and present the Foundation's work, before discussing best practices with the other guests.