Bank account: 5 questions about the failed government project on your data

Ficoba, does that ring a bell? This somewhat barbaric name is not that of a seed or a trendy restaurant, but of a device that concerns you directly. The National File of Bank and Similar Accounts (Ficoba, therefore) lists all the bank accounts opened in France, as well as the safes that are rented in France. If this file should be of interest to you, it is because it contains several pieces of personal information about you.

As the Public Service website explains, “the information is kept for the entire life of the account and 10 years after its closure” and it is filled in and then updated by the banks. “You cannot oppose the registration of your accounts in the Ficoba”, it is specified.

Some professionals may have access to Ficoba and therefore to information related to your account. These include the tax administration, judicial police officers, certain judges, notaries for an estate, commissioners of justice and agents of the CAF. Individuals can also apply, but not everyone:

To have access to Ficoba, you must send your request in writing to the right of indirect access unit of the National Commission for Computing and Liberties. A proof of identity must be added to the request.

If we are talking today about Ficoba it is because the government wanted a modification of the information available, which was refused. It was a survey by the Next INpact site that revealed this request made in September 2021. As Le Point explains, Bercy would have liked to have “direct and permanent access” to “all the operations carried out on the whole bank accounts in France”. What does this mean? Why was the request denied? Could she still see the light of day? We take stock in the slideshow below.