France is one of Europe's top-two e-commerce markets, worth roughly 150 billion euros a year across goods and services combined, and the domestic CB network has issued more than 70 million cards. Because most French consumer cards are co-badged with Visa or Mastercard and route through the CB network first, whether you accept CB is the starting point for payment success rate if you're selling to French consumers.

A defining feature of CB is that it works across industries, from everyday small purchases to high-value durable goods. A large share of France's distinctive 3x/4x installment payments also runs on top of CB cards, so designing it alongside installment payment services (Alma, Oney) lets you cover French customers' payment habits broadly.

When a consumer enters card details at checkout, a co-badged card is routed through the CB network for the approval process. PSD2's SCA (Strong Customer Authentication) requirement applies, so approval is confirmed only after 3DS2-based authentication (bank app confirmation, biometrics, etc.); routing behavior and the authentication screen flow should be confirmed against technical documentation before integrating.

Integrating through Hecto Financial lets a Korean corporation consider accepting CB-routed card payments without signing a direct local acquiring contract in France. Routing conditions for co-badged cards, fees, and the settlement cycle vary by industry and transaction volume, so confirming with the sales team before contracting is necessary.

• Business registration country

  Confirm contract eligibility based on a Korea-registered business

• Sales channels

  Integration method and priority differ depending on your online sales channel mix — owned storefront, marketplaces, mobile app, and so on

• Product categories

  Check in advance whether your product categories fall under Cartes Bancaires's restricted merchant categories

• EU regulatory compliance

  Confirm compliance with EU payment regulations such as PSD2 and SEPA (see official sources below)

Funds a French consumer pays in euros (EUR) are received by Hecto Financial in EUR, converted, and settled to the Korean merchant in whichever of USD, KRW, or JPY is selected in the contract. The settlement cycle follows the contract terms, and refunds are processed as a cancellation or partial refund against the original transaction. Because refund requests tied to the EU's guaranteed 14-day withdrawal right occur routinely in this market, it is a good idea to have a refund operating process in place in advance.

• Banque de France (Central Bank of France)Official information on France's payment systems and related regulations. If this page's content differs from actual regulations, the official source takes precedence.
• Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution (ACPR)The authority that licenses and supervises payment service providers. Useful for confirming payment service regulations in France.