The world of finance has never been so popular!

Between 2019 and 2021, more than a million new retail investors were identified by the Autorité des marchés financiers, the sector's watchdog.

However, profiles under 25 account for more than 10% of these audiences, according to the 2022 survey by the Kantar research institute.

A figure that has tripled since 2015!

Except that young people rarely turn to their banker or a wealth management advisor to get started.

It is above all on the Web, and in particular on social networks, that they discover financial opportunities...

Online democratization

Learning how to save and make the right investment choices is crucial to building wealth.

And precisely, the web is an incredible tool for democratization.

While institutional players are multiplying educational information platforms, many former finance pros run blogs, channels and social network accounts to explain the workings of this little-known universe.

In addition, new online brokers based abroad and baptized "neo-brokers", such as Trade Republic, eToro or Activtrades, attract young Internet users thanks to fun communication and simplified operation that allows them to invest their savings in a few clicks.

misleading communication

“The neo-brokers seduced this new generation by showing them that investing in the stock market could be easy.

But be careful not to minimize the risk of loss!

“Warns Claire Castanet, director of relations with savers for the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF).

Especially since it is often popular influencers who are responsible for promoting these sites on the networks, referring to them as good tips.

Except that they do not always indicate that they are paid for it... However, the head of the AMF is categorical: "Financial influencers are a new way of advertising, but it's still advertising which is governed by the Consumer Code.

If they do not respect these rules, they can be sanctioned by the DGCCRF (Repression of fraud) for misleading commercial practices”.

This offense also earned the famous Nabilla Benattia-Vergara a fine of €20,000 in 2021, after having promoted on Snapchat trading training services from a site specializing in bitcoin, for having failed to specify that she was being compensated, as well as for misleading claims.

The responsible Internet user

Although the AMF and the Repression of Fraud actively fight against all illegal practices, these institutional players also warn Internet users against their own behavior.

Indeed, if you respond to the sirens of easy investment and invest your savings on the stock market or on complex and dangerous markets such as Forex or CFDs (products that allow you to bet on the variations of an asset), you have a good chance of losing everything, without being able to blame anyone.

OUR “INFLUENCERS” FILE

Before any investment, it is therefore recommended to obtain information from reliable sources and never to rush.

Ask yourself if the person who is promoting this or that product has the skills to talk about it and if you even really understand what it is and how it works.

While tempting offers abound on the Web, Claire Castanet hammers it: "We must deconstruct the myth of easy money, because it does not exist".

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A need for training

Faced with the growing importance of influencers among young Internet users, the Professional Advertising Regulatory Authority (ARPP) recently introduced a "responsible influence certificate", issued at the end of a ethical awareness and after a control of acquired knowledge.

The objective: to promote and promote ethical and transparent approaches.

In this context, the ARPP and the AMF are working on the development of a training module specific to finance, in order to deliver certain basic knowledge necessary for influencers working in this sensitive and highly supervised field.

Expected in 2023, this optional certification could be a first step towards increasing the skills of these new key players in the sector.

Note

: if in doubt about a placement offer, find out about Abe-infoservice.fr, the official platform for the sector, or call

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