France government and banks convene to secure domestic loans for 2027 presidential candidates

The French government, represented by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, has met with senior executives of the country's major banks to discuss how candidates for the 2027 presidential election can obtain financing from French lenders. The meeting, described by officials as a dialogue on “the ways and means by which French banks could allow all committed candidates to obtain a French bank loan for their campaign,” aims to create a “bank of democracy” that would keep campaign funding within national financial institutions and prevent reliance on foreign sources.

The reform is motivated by the repeated difficulties faced by the far‑right Rassemblement National (RN). In 2022 the party turned to a Hungarian bank for a €10.7 million loan, and in 2014 it received €9 million from a Russian‑linked bank—both now prohibited. RN leaders have criticised the refusal of French banks to grant what they consider low‑risk loans, calling the situation a “democratic problem.”

The president of the French Banking Federation, Daniel Baal, has suggested that the state could guarantee such loans or provide advances to candidates, further signalling official support for a domestically‑funded election financing framework.