The credit market in France is undergoing a period of rapid restructuring. With the rise of neobanks, the implementation of the Lemoine law on borrower insurance, and the growth of installment payments in online commerce, credit solutions to finance a project have multiplied over the past two years. The regulatory framework has shifted, distribution channels have changed, and access conditions vary depending on the type of project, the amount, and the borrower’s profile.
Online Credit and Disbursement Times: What Has Changed Since 2023
Several online banks and French neobanks (Boursorama Banque, Hello Bank!, Orange Bank before its closure) have expanded their consumer credit offerings with a fully digital process. Electronic signatures and disbursement within 24 to 48 hours for standard amounts have become a standard on these platforms.
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This shortening of timelines alters the balance between three historical products: the classic personal loan, the earmarked credit (linked to a specific purchase), and the revolving credit. For small domestic projects (appliances, furniture, car repairs), the speed of disbursement now weighs as heavily as the rate.
Meanwhile, players like Younited, Floa, Alma, or Oney have developed installment payment solutions (BNPL, for “buy now, pay later”) integrated directly into e-commerce journeys. These facilities, often presented as “no fees,” are gradually transitioning into actual consumer credits subject to European regulation. For borrowers looking to compare the different available options, it is possible to access the Planet Argent website to view offers categorized by project type.
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Lemoine Law and Borrower Insurance: An Underestimated Lever on the Total Cost of Home Loans
The Lemoine law (law n°2022-270 of February 28, 2022) introduced two structural changes for real estate financing. The first: the ability to cancel borrower insurance at any time, without waiting for an anniversary date. The second: the elimination of the health questionnaire under certain thresholds (200,000 euros per borrower, end of repayment before age 60).
In practice, this text shifts part of the negotiation. Rather than focusing on the nominal rate of the loan, a growing number of borrowers are looking to reduce the total cost by changing insurance after signing. The available data does not yet allow for precise measurement of the extent of this transfer, but feedback from the field varies on this point: some brokers report a significant increase in cancellation requests, while others find that many borrowers are still unaware of this possibility.
Conditions to Check Before Changing Insurance
- The new contract must offer guarantees at least equivalent to those required by the lending bank, otherwise, the substitution may be refused.
- The bank’s response time is regulated: it has ten working days to accept or provide a written justification for a refusal.
- Borrowers exceeding the threshold of 200,000 euros or whose loan ends after age 60 remain subject to the medical questionnaire, which may limit potential savings.
Consumer Credit and Installment Payments: Where Is the Regulatory Border?
Installment payments in three or four installments, long considered a simple cash facility, are now subject to gradual regulation. The European regulation on consumer credit aims to subject these offers to the same information and creditworthiness verification obligations as traditional loans.
For the borrower, the distinction has concrete consequences. A traditional consumer credit involves a formal contract, a fourteen-day withdrawal period, and registration in the Banque de France files in case of an incident. Installment payments still partially escape this framework, depending on the amount and duration of the installment.
BNPL players like Alma or Oney are now positioning themselves on higher amounts and longer durations, which blurs the boundary. A borrower who accumulates several installment payments on different platforms may find themselves committed to significant monthly payments without this appearing in a traditional banking file.
Three Criteria to Decide Between Personal Loan and Installment Payment
- The project amount: below a few hundred euros, fee-free installment payments are often simpler. Beyond that, a personal loan offers a fixed rate and a clear repayment schedule.
- Visibility on the total cost: a personal loan displays a mandatory APR, making comparison easier. BNPL does not always mention a rate when presented as “free.”
- The impact on future borrowing capacity: a consumer credit appears in the calculation of the debt ratio when applying for a home loan, not necessarily the installment payment, which can create a surprise effect when assembling the file.
Professional Project Financing: Bank Loan, Microcredit, and Solidarity Alternatives
For starting or taking over a business, the financing landscape remains structured around the classic bank loan, often supplemented by guarantee schemes (Bpifrance, regional funds). Professional microcredit organizations intervene on smaller amounts, targeting project holders who do not have access to the standard banking circuit.
Crowdlending (online participatory lending) constitutes another avenue, but feedback from the field varies on its effectiveness for small businesses: the rates charged are generally higher than those of the banking circuit, and the visibility of the project on the platform does not guarantee the completion of the financing.
Honor loans, granted without interest or personal guarantee by support networks, play a leverage role: they strengthen the equity of the project holder and facilitate obtaining a complementary bank loan. Peer-to-peer lending remains possible, but beyond 5,000 euros, declaration to the tax service via form n°2062 is mandatory.
The choice of a credit solution depends as much on the type of project as on the repayment schedule and the ability to withstand an initial bank refusal. Online comparison tools allow for a preliminary sorting, but careful reading of the general conditions, the APR, and early repayment clauses remains the most reliable filter before any signature.