France Pacte Act Now Allows Cryptocurrency-Pegged Life Insurance Contracts

In April, France’s deputies passed the Pacte Act, and it was just promulgated by french president Emmanuel Macron, which means it comes immediately into effect. The act, among other things, allows for specialized professional funds (SPF) to be packaged in with life insurance accounts. Any limits on SPFs have effectively been removed and are left to the experience and financial situation of the investor. Additionally, another article of the act clarifies that an SPF can be recorded electronically on a shared ledger. Naturally, this includes blockchain technology. According to Emilien Bernard-Alazias, a lawyer at Simmons & Simmons LLP:

With these two provisions, it is written in black and white that SPFs can invest in crypto-assets like bitcoin.

Will Insurers in France Opt for Cryptocurrencies?

Although the law is clear that cryptocurrency-related SPFs can be linked to life insurance accounts, whether or not it will be popular is another question entirely. Two main issues remain — namely, risk and low liquidity. The cryptocurrency market is far too volatile which scares most investors looking to park their funds for life insurance accounts. There is also a steep learning curve when it comes to cryptocurrencies which insurers might not be willing to put up with.

The Pacte Act Will Impact Cryptocurrencies

However, with the passage of France’s Pacte Law, cryptocurrency-linked funds will inevitably become more common in the near future as they become packaged with SPFs, even only partially. It’s only a matter of time before a startup or innovative investment firm makes this idea into reality — especially considering its legality has now been resolved. All that’s required is accessibility and easy-to-understand investment options for cryptocurrency-linked SPFs to become more popular. Although the Pacte Law had little to do with cryptocurrencies directly, it nonetheless will likely have a significant impact. It essentially opens the door to cryptocurrency-linked investment vehicles. With such opportunities, it’s hard to believe that French investment firms would not jump into this opportunity wholesale. What do you think of this news out of France? Would you trust your life insurance in a fund linked to Bitcoin (BTC)? Let us know your thoughts below.  Correction (2019-05-27): The article has been updated to reflect that the Pacte Law was adopted in April.