The French had not spared as much in life insurance for almost 20 years – Liberation
The success of life insurance with the French is confirmed in February. This placement has experienced a net collection (money deposits minus withdrawals) never seen for 20 years for a month of February. The savers have deposited in February 5.8 billion euros more than they withdrew on their life insurance contracts, according to data published this Friday, April 4 by the sector federation, France Insurers.
The second month of the year has shown « A continuation of the trend that we have observed now for more than a year, that is to say a good commercial dynamic on life insurance, with two records », said the director general of France insurers, Paul Esmein. The contributions, that is to say the payments on a life insurance contract, deposited in February are indeed at their highest historic level for this month, at 17 billion euros, up 2 % over one year, according to the sector federation.
The services, which include buyouts and payments in the event of death, are in sharp drop by 16 %, to 11.1 billion euros over one year. The balance between the two, known as « net collection », of 5.8 billion euros, presents itself as the best month of February since February 2006. The outstanding life insurance is 2,038 billion euros at the end of February 2025, up 5.4 % over a year. Over the first two months of the year, contributions have an increase of 6 %, reaching 34.2 billion euros.
With 19 million holders for 56 million contracts, life insurance « Represents half of the main financial investments in French households in stock », underlines France insurers. « Life insurance and retirement savings remain the main financial investments of French households », announced the prudential and resolution authority (ACPR), banks and insurance gendarme in France last week.
« Life insurance (…) perfectly assumes its role as leader in French savings by accumulating excellent results at the start of the year in connection with the improvement of the return on euros and the drop in the rate of remuneration for banking investments, which The booklet A« , commented in a note the president of the circle of savings Philippe Crevel. This investment is equivalent to around a third of the French financial assets in front of unlisted actions and remunerated banking deposits, around 20 % each.
For the coming months, after the announcement of the increase in American customs duties by Donald Trump, France Insurers, however, remains in expectation. « There is no direct impact on life insurance, which is not an export product », said the director general of the federation. « »We know that when there is less growth, it has an impact both on income and on monetary creation. So all this would rather have a negative effect on savings in general ”.
But at the same time « When there are periods of floating or uncertainty, the savings rate, in particular the rate of precautionary savings, tends to progress », he said. For Philippe Crevel, « The anxiety -provoking nature of the economic and geopolitical situation could lead households to turn once again to short -term investments like Booklet A ».
