Annual key figures
France Active : the 2024 results combine social benefits and economic performance
In an uncertain economic climate, France Active has confirmed its role as a driving force in supporting socially-committed businesses. In 2024, France’s leading solidarity finance network mobilised €491 million to support 37,458 businesses, demonstrating that it is possible to reconcile social utility with economic performance. Thanks to the network’s action, these businesses are more resilient to the ups and downs of the economy and have a longer-term future than the national average.A growing economic and social contribution
In 2024, France Active mobilised 491 million euros for the benefit of 37,458 entrepreneurs and structures of the Social Economy, an increase of 3% compared with 2023. Thanks to its guarantee (up to 80% of the amount borrowed) and investment tools, the network promotes access to bank credit for entrepreneurs in vulnerable situations and supports the consolidation of businesses with a strong social and environmental impact.
Against a backdrop of budgetary constraints, the associative movement is demonstrating its ability to act in the public interest at a modest financial cost, thanks to the leverage effect it can have on private savings and the choice of tools that use public resources sparingly (guarantees and investment). This action is reflected in the reintegration of jobseekers into the workplace by setting up their own business, the development of structures with a strong social impact in fragile areas, and the revitalisation of local areas through a network of local businesses suited to the needs of all.
This financial support is complemented by a number of local programmes, which benefited 10,000 businesses in 2024, reinforcing the solidity and resilience of the projects financed.
The support provided by France Active has enabled the creation and consolidation of 70,000 jobs in 2024, compared with 67,000 in 2023. The increase is particularly marked in disadvantaged areas, notably in Priority Urban Neighbourhoods (Quartiers Prioritaires de la Ville – QPV) and rural areas (ex-ZRR), in line with the government’s Quartiers 2030 programme, led by Bpifrance.
In these areas, the proportion of entrepreneurs in the creation phase has risen from 25% in 2021 to almost 30% in 2024, demonstrating increased access to finance for those entrepreneurs who are furthest from the banking system.
With the ongoing support of the State, via the Social Cohesion Fund, and of all the Regions, France Active is developing loan guarantee solutions that give it a special place in the banking sector. And when it comes to investment, France Active Investissement mobilises the solidarity-based savings of the French people that are entrusted through the main management companies.
Profiles of entrepreneurs supported by France Active in 2024
>100% of entrepreneurs supported are jobseekers, 37% of whom are in very precarious situations (long-term jobseekers, recipients of minimum social benefits, etc.).
>45% of entrepreneurs supported are women, benefiting in particular from the Women’s Equality Guarantee and several dedicated local programmes.
>31% of entrepreneurs are under the age of 30 (compared with 28.3% in 2021), with 54% of them having a baccalaureate or lower (compared with 51% in 2023).
Businesses more resistant to crises
The businesses financed by France Active are more sustainable than the national average. For example, 93% of businesses that received a bank guarantee in 2018 are still in business three years later, compared with 82% of all French businesses and 75.2% of individual enterprises excluding micro-businesses.
In 2024, while the Banque de France has observed a 17% increase in business failures, the number of businesses supported by France Active has risen by only 5%.
Pierre-René Lemas
Chairman of France Active
Despite the tense economic climate, France Active has succeeded in reconciling social utility and economic performance through the 37,000 businesses it supports and finances. We are enabling an ever-increasing number of entrepreneurs in vulnerable situations to gain access to bank credit and are stepping up our investment in businesses that are most committed to social and ecological issues. We are demonstrating the resilience of these businesses, which are far more resilient than others to economic uncertainties. The provision of public funds and the contribution of solidarity-based savings to our model generate a virtuous knock-on effect for the economic development of our country.
Investments serving the social and ecological transition
Ecology, social issues, employment, territories and democratic governance are the 5 fundamental pillars to which France Active confronts the most socially-committed companies within the support and financing phase at every stage of the company life.
In 2024, its solidarity investments grew by more than 23% to reach €77.5m with 1,351 associations and companies.
67% of the companies financed have a social or environmental mission, with a strong drive in favour of cooperative models, which meet a growing demand for participative governance.
In addition, thanks to the leverage effect generated by its partners (Banque des Territoires, Mirova, etc.), €1 invested by France Active generated an additional €4 in 2024, securing the development of projects while sharing the risk with other public and private investors.
