France's Financial Markets Authority has unveiled its 2026 to 2028 financial education plan, centred on a new women and investment action plan after its data showed persistent underrepresentation of women in investing. The package combines targeted investor education measures with further research intended to shape a dedicated strategy for women. Based on transaction data and surveys, women remained much less likely than men to invest. In 2025, 24 percent of women said they invested through a securities account or equity savings plan, or in crypto-assets or crowdfunding, compared with 45 percent of men. Only 8 percent of women reported holding listed shares, versus 15 percent of men. Among active investors, defined as those making at least one buy or sell transaction, women's share fell from 30 percent in 2022 to 25 percent in 2024. The AMF linked the gap partly to lower reported income and financial wealth, but also to lower self-assessed knowledge of savings and investment products at 28 percent versus 51 percent for men, despite little difference in actual financial skills, and to lower willingness to take risk, with 51 percent of women rejecting any investment risk against 31 percent of men. A new qualitative study will start in September 2026 to identify barriers to women's investment and possible levers to address them. Its findings will be used to define a dedicated financial education strategy for implementation in 2027. In the shorter term, the authority will create a women and investment section within the retail investor area of its website.

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