Spot and derivatives diverge sharply here. Holding and trading spot crypto is lawful for a French resident, but who may serve them is now tightly closed: the transition from the French PSAN regime under the loi Pacte to the EU MiCA regulation ended on 1 July 2026, and since 2 July 2026 only an authorised crypto-asset service provider (PSCA/CASP) may provide crypto services in France.
The AMF publishes a white list of authorised providers and stresses that MiCA carries no equivalence regime with third countries, so a non-EU exchange cannot serve French clients on the strength of a home-country licence; providers that failed to obtain authorisation are running orderly wind-down plans and moving clients out. France had authorised 31 providers by 6 July 2026, against 283 across the EU.
A perpetual on PEPE tracks price and does not confer ownership of the underlying — the same contract mechanics apply in every jurisdiction; what differs by country is legal status and funding rails.
13 venues open Pepe perps to traders in France.
ApeX
Aster
gTrade
Helix
Hyperliquid
Lighter
Pacifica
Paradex
Reya
Synthetix
VestFour steps from sign-up to an open position.
Occasional traders pay up to 30% PFU on crypto gains; professional traders are taxed as non-commercial profits (BNC) up to 45%.
Trading PEPE from France: legal.
France traders can fund Pepe positions using SEPA / SEPA Instant transfer (EUR), Debit card and PayPal.
19 platforms serve France for Pepe trading, among them Aevo, ApeX and Aster.
On Canborsa, traders in France can use up to 10x leverage on Pepe.
On Canborsa, Pepe trading from France costs 0.07% per side.