Influence marketing in finance and banking: the compliant guide

How a bank, insurer or financial institution conducts an effective influence campaign without going outside the framework of ACPR, AMF and the 2023 law.

Finance is the sector where influencer marketing inspires the most mistrust, and for good reason: scandals involving influencers promoting crypto-assets and speculative products have dominated the legal news for years. As a result, many marketing departments at banks and insurers consider influence a forbidden territory. This is a misjudgment. The problem has never been influence itself, but the lack of a framework. Since 2023, this framework exists, it is precise, and it makes campaigns perfectly feasible—provided they are built in the right order.

This guide is for regulated financial institutions that want to use influence to increase their visibility, explain their products, or reach a younger audience without exposing themselves. It doesn't address "how to become a finfluencer"; it focuses on the perspective of an institution that wants to communicate ethically. This is the approach we take as aninfluence agency with clients like Crédit Agricole and BPI France, where every public statement undergoes a compliance review.

01 — Issues:Why finance has every interest in investing in influence

The financial sector suffers from a lack of education. Products are complex, the vocabulary is technical, and younger generations research on social media before even setting foot in a branch—if they still do. Influencer marketing addresses this need precisely: a creator explains a savings account, how a loan works, or the basics of mortgage insurance in a format their community understands and watches in its entirety.

Three objectives justify an influence campaign in finance:

• Financial education. Simplifying a mechanism (compound interest, savings taxation, how a loan works) builds trust without directly selling anything. It's the safest approach legally and the most effective in terms of public image.
• Building brand awareness among a young target audience. Reaching 18-30 year olds, future banking customers, where traditional advertising no longer reaches them.
• Focus on a specific product. Highlight an offer (account, application, financing) while strictly adhering to the mandatory information specific to that product.

The logic remains the same as for any serious campaign: a clear brief, creators chosen for their relevance rather than their raw reach, and appropriate measurement. The principles we apply in B2B influencer marketing are valid here, with an added regulatory layer.

It's also important to remember what's at stake in terms of trust. In finance, a brand doesn't sell a one-off product but a long-term relationship, where the slightest communication blunder is costly in terms of credibility. A poorly executed influence campaign can be perceived as disguised incentives, precisely the criticism leveled at the sector after the crypto excesses. Conversely, a transparent, educational, and compliant approach strengthens the image of a serious player in the long term. It's precisely because the field is sensitive that rigor becomes a competitive advantage rather than a constraint.

02 — Legal FrameworkThe regulatory framework: two regulators and one law

This is the point that distinguishes finance from any other sector. A campaign lies at the intersection of three texts, and it is necessary to identify which one applies before writing a single line of brief.

Law No. 2023-451 of June 9, 2023 , regulates commercial influence activities for the first time in France. It requires that all paid partnerships be clearly disclosed with an explicit statement ("Advertising," "Commercial Collaboration," or equivalent) and specifically targets the promotion of financial products and crypto-assets. Violations are punishable by two years' imprisonment and a €300,000 fine, with a possible ban on engaging in influence activities.

This general law is superimposed on two supervisory authorities whose scope depends on the product being promoted:

In January 2026, the AMF (French Financial Markets Authority) and ESMA (the European Securities and Markets Authority) published a set of recommendations for "finfluencers": take responsibility towards your audience, disclose all remuneration, be clear and not misleading about risky products, emphasize risks as much as benefits, verify the authorizations of the company being promoted, distinguish between advice and investment recommendations, and understand a product before discussing it. These principles are not administrative constraints: they are the foundation of a solid brief.

03 — ScopeWhat you can promote — and what is prohibited

The line is clear once you know it. Some products can be promoted under certain conditions, others are closed to influence.

Promotable, with mentions and precautions

• Everyday banking products : accounts, savings accounts, apps, and services. This is the broadest and safest area, subject to the ACPR's best practices regarding advertising (for example, for savings accounts).
• Consumer and real estate credit, provided that the mandatory information is displayed: annual percentage rate (APR), a representative numerical example, and — if insurance is required — its cost and its mandatory nature.
• Life insurance and savings contracts, with the mention "advertising" and clear language, without misleading promises of return.
• Crypto-assets, only for registered actors (PSANs) or those approved by the AMF, with explicit highlighting of the risks.

Prohibited or severely restricted

• The most speculative products : CFDs, binary options, Forex — their advertising has already been prohibited since the Sapin 2 law.
• Crypto promotion by an actor not registered with the AMF: strictly prohibited.
• Any communication presented as investment advice by someone who is not qualified as such is unacceptable. The legal distinction between "explaining" and "advising to buy" is crucial.

The simple rule: you can explain a product, but you can't promise a profit. Anything resembling a promise of return is a red flag for compliance.

04 — Methodology:Building a compliant financial influence campaign, step by step

The unique aspect of this sector is that compliance comes first, not last. Reversing this order is the number one cause of campaigns being blocked the day before they launch.

1. Frame compliance before creativity

Before seeking a content creator, determine which product is affected, which regulator applies, and what information is mandatory. This framework defines what a creator can and cannot include. Involve your compliance department from this initial meeting, not at the final approval stage.

2. Select creators suited to the sector

Reach matters less than credibility and subject matter expertise. Prioritize creators who already discuss personal finance, ideally those holding the ARPP's Responsible Influence Certificate (financial advertising option) — around a hundred influencers currently possess this certification. Our influencer selection applies, with this additional compliance filter.

3. Write a brief that incorporates legal constraints

The financial brief is more prescriptive than other types of briefs. It lists the mandatory information to display, prohibited wording (promises of earnings, misleading comparisons), the obligation to disclose the partnership, and the need to present the risks. A influencer brief protects both the brand and the creator. Allow creative freedom in the form, never in the regulatory content.

4. Validate and archive

Each piece of content undergoes compliance validation before publication — script, mentions, visuals. Then keep a record of each publication (screenshot, link, date): in the event of an audit, you must be able to prove that the obligations were met at the time of publication.

05 — Measurement:Measuring an influence campaign in finance

The financial decision-making cycle is long: you don't open a life insurance policy on a whim after watching a video. Measuring a fundraising campaign solely by the number of immediate subscriptions systematically undervalues ​​it. The right indicators are delayed and broader in scope.

• Awareness and consideration : qualified reach, video completion rate (sign that the pedagogy works), evolution of brand searches.
• Useful engagement : comments asking real questions about the product, shares, saves — all signals of real interest rather than simple likes.
• Intentional traffic : visits to simulators, product pages or appointment bookings, measured by tracked link or dedicated code.
• Qualified leads : contact requests or account openings attributable to the campaign, to be analyzed over several weeks.

For the details of building a measurement system, oursocial media agency integrates these indicators into a single dashboard, from the first view to the lead passed on to the sales teams.