The Autorité des Marchés Financiers has released an updated version of its active stock market investor dashboard, showing record participation by private individuals in 2025. The dashboard uses data provided by European financial service providers.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!).Cross-Border Trades Drive Market GrowthNearly 2.5 million French residents executed at least one stock market transaction in 2025, the highest annual total since 2020. Of these, just over 1.9 million bought or sold shares, marking a 21% increase from 1.5 million in 2024. Over the 2021-2025 period, more than 3.8 million retail investors participated in equity markets. Over the past three years, a total of around 1.6 million new investors entered the French stock market.Retail investors carried out a total of 56 million equity transactions in 2025, up from 41 million in 2024. A growing share of these trades involved institutions based in European Union countries outside France, rising to 26% in 2025 from 18% the previous year. These cross-border trades accounted for 15% of the total equity amounts traded.ETF Activity SurgesTransactions in exchange-traded funds also grew sharply. More than 1.1 million French investors executed at least one ETF transaction in 2025, up 83% from 607,000 in 2024. Over the past five years, the number of ETF investors increased nearly fivefold, from 223,000 in 2020.The AMF recorded 14.4 million ETF transactions in 2025, more than double the 6 million recorded in 2024. Nearly 47% of the trades were executed through EU-based institutions outside France, up from 23% in 2024. These cross-border ETF transactions represented 20% of the total amounts traded in ETFs.New and Younger InvestorsThe French stock market saw 1.6 million new investors over the past three years. In 2025, 780,000 individuals entered the market for the first time since 2018, compared with 516,000 in 2024 and 329,000 in 2023.For both equities and ETFs, most new investors used EU-based institutions outside France. In 2025, 61% of new equity investors and 49% of new ETF investors traded through these providers. They accounted for 14% of the amounts invested in equities and 24% of amounts invested in ETFs by new investors.The AMF also noted a decrease in the average age of investors. Equity investors’ average age fell from 51 in the last quarter of 2024 to 48 in the same quarter of 2025. ETF investors’ average age declined from 41 to 38.Expanded Dashboard ScopeThe updated dashboard now includes French investors using investment service providers based elsewhere in the EU to trade instruments under AMF jurisdiction on French markets. It separates retail investors into two categories: those trading with French-based service providers, and those trading AMF-jurisdiction instruments with EU-based providers outside France.The AMF said the enhancements aim to provide a more complete picture of retail investor activity across domestic and cross-border markets. This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.

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