Which French central bank was created by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1800?

Banque de France, France’s central bank, was created by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1800.

It was established on January 18, 1800, during the Consulate, to help restore confidence in France’s monetary and financial system after the instability of the revolutionary period. Napoleon became its first governor in 1806, and the bank gradually expanded its role in issuing banknotes and managing credit.

Banque de France later became the sole issuer of banknotes in France. Today it is part of the Eurosystem, working with the European Central Bank and the national central banks of other euro-area countries.

A frequent mix-up is treating Banque de France as the issuer of a separate modern French currency. France adopted the euro in 1999 for accounting purposes and introduced euro cash in 2002, so the bank now issues euro banknotes within the Eurosystem rather than francs.