L’AMF et l’ARPP lancent le certificat de l’influence responsable dans la finance

The AMF and the ARPP have introduced the „Responsible Influence Certificate in Finance“ to professionalize commercial influence in the financial sector, aligning with newly enacted regulations.
The collaboration between AMF and ARPP, initiated in 2011, culminated in the launch of a specialized module for the „Responsible Influence Certificate“ in July 2022. This certificate, initially introduced by ARPP in 2021, has already been awarded to nearly 1,000 French influencers who completed an online training course on influencer marketing best practices.
The new financial module, developed with AMF’s expertise, covers various aspects of the financial sector, excluding banking and insurance. It includes investment products (equities, bonds, ETFs, funds, derivatives), investment services (advice, portfolio management, order reception, transmission), trading, crypto-assets, and crowdfunding. The module also outlines rules for investment offer communications, including restrictions on advertising certain high-risk products.
To attain the Responsible Influence Certificate in Financial Advertising, influencers must score a minimum of 75% correct answers on 25 multiple-choice questions. This certificate complements the „general“ certificate, updated to incorporate provisions by the Law of 9 June 2023 governing commercial influence activities, including requirements to label content as „advertisement“ or „commercial collaboration“ and adherence to ethical rules set out in the ARPP Code. The ARPP monitors certified content creators and may revoke the certificate for non-compliance with communication and ARPP Code rules.
Marie-Anne Barbat-Layani, AMF Chair, emphasized the importance of protecting retail investors by ensuring clear, accurate, non-misleading, and balanced communication in the highly regulated financial sector.
Stéphane Martin, General Manager of ARPP, highlighted the ARPP’s mission to promote responsible advertising, emphasizing that the Responsible Influence Certificate aids content creators in their commercial influence activities, serving the interests of consumers and professionals.
Furthermore, AMF and ARPP collaborated to update ARPP’s recommendations related to the financial sector and introduced a new Code for advertising digital assets. These recommendations will apply on 1 October 2023, and an awareness-raising session is planned for ARPP members and content creators, featuring experts from AMF and ARPP.