#Financial Lawyer in Paris: Transactions, Compliance and Banking Disputes

🏦 Service	🔍 Situation	🤝 Our assistance
💼 Structuring financial transactions	You need advice to structure an acquisition or a bond issue	Legal advice on the contractual documentation and compliance
⚖️ Financial dispute	You are involved in a dispute with a bank or an investor	Defence before the courts and representation before the AMF
🏛️ Regulation and compliance	You need to make sure your business complies with financial regulations	Setting up compliance procedures and regular audits
💰 Corporate finance	You want to raise funds for a real estate project or an acquisition	Structuring and negotiating financing agreements
💳 Crypto-finance and FinTech	You are developing a digital payment platform or a blockchain	Advice on data protection and FinTech compliance
🔧 Debt restructuring	Your company is in financial difficulty and needs to reschedule its debts	Restructuring plan, negotiation with creditors
🕵️‍♂️ Defence against financial fraud allegations	You are accused of fraud, money laundering or insider dealing	Defence against criminal penalties, negotiation with the authorities
📊 Internal audit and compliance	You want to check that your internal procedures meet the applicable standards	Internal audit, risk management and compliance training

A financial lawyer advises and defends companies, executives and investors in three areas: structuring financial transactions, regulatory compliance (AMF, ACPR) and litigation. At Hashtag Avocats, this practice extends to digital finance: FinTech, payment services and crypto-assets.

What does a financial lawyer do?

Financial law governs the raising of capital, the marketing of financial products and the operation of regulated firms. The financial lawyer acts upstream, to structure and secure, and downstream, to defend. The field covers the French Monetary and Financial Code (Code monétaire et financier), the General Regulation of the AMF (French Financial Markets Authority) and the European texts that apply to financial markets and services.

Structuring financial transactions

We advise companies and investors on structuring and negotiating transactions: acquisitions, securities issues, structured finance, securitisation and receivables transactions. Each transaction requires robust contractual documentation and a prior analysis of the regulatory constraints.

In corporate finance, we act on corporate financing (fundraising), acquisition finance, real estate finance and project finance. We negotiate loan agreements, security interests and guarantees, making sure they fit the company’s trajectory.

Financial regulation in France: AMF, ACPR and solicitation rules

Financial market participants operate under the supervision of the Financial Markets Authority (Autorité des marchés financiers, AMF) and the Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority (Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution, ACPR). We assist asset management companies, investment firms, advisers and platforms with their obligations: authorisations, internal procedures, reporting, anti-money laundering.

The marketing of products follows strict rules. Banking or financial solicitation (démarchage bancaire ou financier) is defined by Article L341-1 of the Monetary and Financial Code (in French): any unsolicited contact made in order to obtain an agreement on financial products or services, including, since the ordinance of 15 October 2024, on crypto-assets. Only persons entitled to do so may engage in it. We audit your sales practices to prevent penalties.

Banking and financial litigation in France

We defend our clients in disputes arising from financial transactions: disputes with a bank or an investment services provider, challenges to loans, disputes between shareholders or with investors, calls on guarantees. We act before the civil and commercial courts, and before the AMF Enforcement Committee (Commission des sanctions).

In criminal and regulatory enforcement matters, we assist executives and companies targeted by investigations or prosecutions: market abuse, insider dealing, money laundering, financial fraud. We also represent victims of investment fraud, in particular fake online investments and crypto-asset fraud.

FinTech and crypto-finance: a framework transformed in 2026

Digital finance is a major focus of the firm. Crypto-asset service providers now fall under the European MiCA Regulation: since 1 July 2026, their activity requires an authorisation, pursuant to Ordinance No. 2024-936 of 15 October 2024 (in French) and Articles L54-10-1 et seq. of the Monetary and Financial Code.

We advise FinTechs on their regulatory status (payment, electronic money, crypto-assets), their contracts and their compliance. For blockchain and crypto projects, our dedicated crypto-asset lawyer practice covers authorisation, tax and litigation.

Debt restructuring and companies in difficulty

When a company runs into difficulty, we assist it in renegotiating its debts, preparing out-of-court procedures (mandat ad hoc, conciliation) and, where necessary, insolvency proceedings. We also defend creditors in these proceedings: proof of claims, property recovery claims (revendications), challenges.

Compliance and internal audit

Prevention remains your best defence. We audit internal procedures, map regulatory risks and train teams: anti-money laundering systems, conflicts of interest, market abuse, reporting obligations. A documented compliance system carries real weight when a regulator takes an interest in your business.

Who do we act for?

Our services are aimed at banks and financial institutions, asset management companies, investment firms, FinTechs and businesses of all sizes facing a financial issue: raising capital, a dispute with a bank, a regulatory requirement. We also assist executives personally, in particular on guarantees, personal sureties and claims seeking to hold them liable.

FAQ: financial lawyer

What is the difference between a financial lawyer and a tax lawyer?

The financial lawyer deals with the regulation of financial transactions and financial firms (AMF, ACPR, financing agreements, banking litigation). The tax lawyer deals with the taxation of income and transactions. The two practices complement each other, for example in a fundraising round or a restructuring.

When should you consult a financial lawyer?

Before any binding transaction: fundraising, securities issue, signing a financing agreement, launching a regulated product or service. And at the first signs of difficulty: formal notice from a bank, investigation by a regulator, dispute with an investor. The earlier the analysis, the more options remain open.

Do you assist victims of investment fraud?

Yes. We act for victims of fake investments, crypto-asset fraud and impersonation of regulated firms: criminal complaint, civil recovery actions, reports to the authorities. The speed of the response often determines the chances of recovering the funds.

Does a FinTech need an authorisation to offer crypto-asset services?

Yes. Since 1 July 2026, acting as a crypto-asset service provider is prohibited without the authorisation provided for by the MiCA Regulation (Articles L54-10-1 et seq. of the Monetary and Financial Code). The former PSAN registration (digital asset service provider) is no longer sufficient.

Official sources

• Article L341-1 of the French Monetary and Financial Code, banking or financial solicitation: Légifrance (in French)
• Articles L54-10-1 to L54-10-7 of the French Monetary and Financial Code, crypto-asset service providers: Légifrance (in French)
• Ordinance No. 2024-936 of 15 October 2024 on crypto-asset markets: Légifrance (in French)
• French Financial Markets Authority (AMF): amf-france.org – French Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority (ACPR): acpr.banque-france.fr

Law as in force on 6 July 2026. This content provides general information and does not constitute legal advice. Every situation is different: contact our team for a review of your financial matter.