List of french banks violating SEPA rules

Quite a few of our customers are based in European region (SEPA €), so we invoice them in Euro for ease for them. Being based in Switzerland, country that is a member of SEPA system and with accounts in Euros as we have for our business activity, it allows to do wire transfers in Euro in both directions easily and usually without changes, excepted with some specific french banks that rape with impunity european bank laws.

Indeed, either they charge abusive charges for these wire transfers that have to be free, or force customers to use the old internatiol wire transfer system (GIRO) which involves always some extra bank changes, and quite often too changes of currencies.

So we have decided to maintain a public list of these banks hoping it’ll push them to respect law and change their dishonest behaviour.

CIC:

• Impossible to do a SEPA wire transfer to Switzerland in their online banking system.
• Invoice abusive 10€ and justify it by a lie that it’s remote bank that charged it (which is completely wrong).

Crédit Lyonnais:

• Impossible to do a SEPA wire transfer to Switzerland in their online banking system.
• Force a Euro -> CHF change, because they ignore on purpose that Swiss banks can have Euro accounts.

Crédit Agricole:

• ask for a written letter from customer to add a swiss account in their online banking system to be able to do a wire transfer. With Crédit Agricole, it’s them they decide what you can or not do with your money.