1. La Banque Postale’s No. 2 leaves for Revolut
Perrine Kaltwasser, a member of La Banque Postale’s board and head of risk, compliance, and the general secretariat, has resigned. Her departure follows a series of executive purges by CEO Stéphane Dedeyan. The 45-year-old will join British fintech Revolut as head of risk for Western European expansion, working alongside Béatrice Cossa-Dumurgier (ex-Société Générale) and Frédéric Oudéa. Before La Banque Postale, Kaltwasser held senior supervisory roles at the ECB and ACPR. Her exit is seen as a boomerang for Dedeyan, who had pushed a “postalization” strategy and sidelined numerous senior figures.
2. Rachida Dati courts music industry bosses for Paris mayoral bid
Culture minister Rachida Dati has secured the support of three major music industry figures — Angelo Gopee (Live Nation France), Alexandre Kirchhoff (Universal Music/Capitol), and Saïd Boussif (Indifference Prod) — for her 2026 Paris mayoral campaign. Before leaving office, she also launched a mission on revenue sharing from live performances and satisfied a longstanding request from the Fimalac Entertainment group.
3. White & Case to advise the DGEC
The French energy and climate directorate (DGEC) has awarded a €4.8 million legal advisory contract to White & Case for guidance on energy infrastructure regulation, production, transport, and storage frameworks.
4. Hélène Mercier-Arnault’s solo media strategy
Bernard Arnault’s wife has launched a major media blitz (TF1, RTL, Vogue Business, Gala, Le Figaro) tied to her upcoming album, orchestrated by Louis Jublin (ex-adviser to PM Gabriel Attal). LVMH was reportedly not informed. Her interviews have shifted attention to the Arnault family succession battle, drawing both praise and criticism.
5. Télérama holds steady despite advertising decline
The Groupe Le Monde cultural weekly posted a €7M operating profit in 2025 on €68M revenue, stable year-on-year, even as ad revenue fell to €5.7M (from €11.6M in 2017). Subscriptions generate 74% of revenue. Digital now represents 6.6% of turnover. A 7% postage price increase by La Poste poses a future financial risk of ~€800K.
6. Frontières blocked by INPI on trademark
The INPI refused to register the trademark “C’est Nicolas qui paie” filed by Artefakt (parent company of the far-right magazine Frontières, founded by Erik Tegnér), ruling the expression is not distinctive and constitutes a widely-used public debate phrase.