The French regulatory requirements ensure a high standard of entry to the one of the six professional associations before membership is granted. These, in our case the French ‘Association National des Conseils Financiers’ (‘ANACOFI’), then require a guaranteed minimum number of hours of specific and dedicated professional development to be followed, which training is provided by professional training organisations and the ANACOFI themselves … all to ensue that membership is maintained. In this way, professional certification and standards in France are maintained in a more formal and structured manner.

Pelican Consulting is a French practice of ‘Conseillers en Investissements Financiers’, ‘Courtiers d’Assurance Vie’, ‘Intermédiaire en Opérations de Banque’, and ‘Démarchage bancaire ou Financier’, meaning that we are regulated, professionally insured, and have the relevant financial guarantees to be able to engage in the following activities:

• financial advisers
• investment advisers
• life assurance brokerage
• advisers and intermediaries in banking operations

Pelican Consulting is independent of any peer organisation.

When necessary, through mandates with other more specialised French appropriately-regulated financial practices, Pelican Consulting can independently offer all other forms regulated financial advice and access to specialised ‘defiscalisation’ and property schemes available in France.

Within the profession, we are known as ‘Conseillers en Gestion de Patrimoine Indépendant’ given the degree, variety, independence and depth of our advice and recommendations. However, this is a French financial title which, contrary to its incorrect use by some, is not an official title and, therefore, not one that can be, or is, either recorded, registered or even regulated. The French title literally translated means ‘adviser in wealth (or estate) management’, and since it is not possible to advise on a client’s overall estate or wealth whilst falling under only one regulatory activity since this would be too limiting, by definition the activity requires and necessitates multi-regulation. Accordingly, the title refers to practitioners offering the wider professional activity and is used to identify those that, due to their qualifications, diverse financial consultancy and intermediary activities, fall under several Regulators and have the professional experience and knowledge to take financial planning to the highest levels.

On a more administrative note, France registers businesses according to their activity, and this registration in turn dictates the ‘Convention’ (further rules !) applicable to the business activity. There is an activity code for the act of «brokerage» (6622Z), and there there is a code for «advice» (7022Z). As can be seen by connecting to http://www.societe.com and typing in the firm’s name, most financial advisers have the activity code 6022Z (Activités des agents et courtiers d'assurances), indicating that their main activity is that of brokerage, not the provision of advice.

Pelican Consulting has an activity code of 7022Z, ‘Conseil pour les affaires et autres conseils de gestion’, since our main activity is that of the provision of advice.

Please find below our statutory identifications under the various Regulators:

Business activity code (code APE)	7022Z ‘Conseil pour les affaires et autres conseils de gestion’
ORIAS	Category B 07 034 696
ANACOFI-CIF	E001306
Passports	UK FSA passport - 479122, Ireland, Luxembourg and Belgium
Banking operations are regulated by the banks individually, so we are issued with a ‘carte professionnelle’ (art. 341-8 Code Monétaire et Financier) The activities covered by our Professional Indemnity Insurance with Allo Assurance, 26958 Valence. for which we are covered to the extent of of 1 525 000€ per claim and 3 050 000€ per year, include the following:
Financial and investment advice (article L541-1 to L541-7 Code Monétaire et Financier) Intermediation in banking operations (article L519-1 to L519-5 Code Monétaire et Financier) Banking or financial prospection (article L341-1 to L341-9 Code Monétaire et Financier
Professional public liability cover of 1 150 000€ with the same assurer Because we do not accept client investment or premium monies (see our Terms of Business), we are dispensed with having to hold a financial guarantee.