French Financial Markets Authority survey finds stronger saver expectations for sustainable investment advice as knowledge gaps persist

The French Financial Markets Authority published results from the third OpinionWay barometer of its Savings Observatory on “responsible investments”, indicating that French savers increasingly expect their bank or financial adviser to raise the topic and provide proposals, while overall understanding of these products remains limited and doubts about their sustainability persist. Based on an online survey of 2,006 French adults conducted from 12 to 20 May 2025, 63% consider sustainable development issues important (66% in 2023), and 76% view the environmental impact of responsible investments as an important topic, a level described as stable since 2021. Banks and advisers are the main information source for 72% of respondents (up 5 percentage points from 2023); 69% say it is important for advisers to ask whether they want responsible investments, and 16% report having already been asked such questions, which have been mandatory to consider in investment advice since August 2022. Among clients who raised the subject with their adviser, 82% report being satisfied (69% in 2023), while 12% say their adviser has already proposed a responsible investment. On product understanding and trust, 64% have heard of responsible investments but only 12% say they know them well, and 59% doubt they are truly responsible; 44% attribute a real environmental impact to them. Awareness of labels remains limited (28% have heard of the ISR label and 18% of Greenfin), and full trust in these labels to guarantee a product’s responsible character is reported by 25% and 29% respectively. The AMF also notes that collecting investors’ sustainability preferences remains complex, supports simplifying the customer journey, and highlights adviser training, recommending an optional exam in light of the survey’s findings.