Currency of France: The Euro
Euro · Eurosystem · Banque de France
Who Issues the Euro in France
The euro is issued within the Eurosystem, not by any single national central bank alone. The Eurosystem is made up of the European Central Bank and the national central banks of the countries that have adopted the euro, working together under one shared monetary policy.
The Banque de France, founded in 1800, became a founding member of the Eurosystem in 1999. Its governor sits on the ECB's Governing Council, which sets euro area monetary policy; the Banque de France then implements that policy within France and is one of the Eurosystem's printers of euro banknotes.
Exchange Rate
The figure below is a reference snapshot, not a live feed, and not a bank or cash-counter quote. Actual rates vary by provider, card network and location.
Banknotes and Coins
Banknotes
Euro banknotes carry a common design across the entire euro area; a French note looks identical to one issued anywhere else in the currency area.
Coins
Euro coins share a common value side, but each issuing country mints its own national design on the reverse. French coins carry a French national side.
Cashless Payments
Card payments overtook cash for the first time in France in 2024, according to the Banque de France's own January-February 2025 Bulletin: cards accounted for 48%* of the number of point-of-sale payment transactions, versus 43%* for cash. This is a different measure than a share of payment value, so it is not directly compared to the value-based cashless ratios used on other DigifyWorld currency pages.
French consumers also make a higher share of payments online (25%* in 2024) than the euro area average (21%*), per the same Banque de France source.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is France's currency?
The euro, symbol €, ISO code EUR. France adopted the euro as its accounting currency in 1999 and introduced physical euro cash in 2002, replacing the French franc.
Who issues the euro in France?
The euro is issued within the Eurosystem, made up of the European Central Bank and the national central banks of euro area countries. In France, the Banque de France is the national central bank and a founding member of the Eurosystem since 1999.
Do euro banknotes and coins look the same in every country?
Banknotes share a common design across the euro area. Coins share a common value side, but each country mints its own national design on the reverse, so French euro coins carry a French national side.
Is France a cashless country?
Not entirely, though card payments overtook cash for the first time in 2024. According to the Banque de France, cards accounted for 48% of point-of-sale payment transactions in 2024, versus 43% for cash.
Sources & methodology
Sources for the data and definitions shown above.
View sources used for this page
National central bank role within the Eurosystem, and France-specific cashless payment data (2024 Bulletin).
Eurosystem structure and euro banknote/coin design facts.
Reference exchange rate.