July 14th (le 14 Juillet), Bastille Day, is the French national holiday commemorating the start of the French revolution in 1789. The end of the French revolution led to a series of Republics, one of the symbols of which is la Marianne.

Named for the two most common woman’s names at the time, Marie and Anne, Marianne is a national symbol of France representing liberty and the importance of reason. Her image appears on stamps, on government documents, and a bust of her appears in les mairies (the town / city halls) of France.

Early images of Marianne were based on anonymous models, however since 1969 they have been based on the features of famous woman including Brigitte Bardot, Catherine Deneuve, the model Inès de La Fressange, and more.

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

We are delighted to share some exciting news!

Cle France has partnered with Regency FX, a trusted and fully safeguarded currency exchange provider, to bring you even better service and exclusive benefits when transferring money internationally.

Why Regency FX?

Unlike other providers, Regency FX offers:

✅ Full transparency – Track and manage your transactions in real time via their secure online platform.

✅ Safeguarded transfers – All transfers are fully protected for your peace of mind.

✅ Preferential rates – Exclusive exchange rates available only to Cle France clients.

Whether you’re buying a property, making regular payments, or transferring funds for renovations, Regency FX makes the process fast, clear, and reliable.

Special Offer – Win a £250 Amazon Voucher!

To celebrate our new partnership, all clients who open a Regency FX account during July will be entered into a prize draw to win a £250 Amazon gift voucher!

Don’t miss out - open your account today and start benefiting from the advantages of a smarter, safer currency exchange.

Set Up Your Account Now, it is quick and easy...

Kind regards, 
David Evans 
Co-Founder of Cle France.

We are delighted to share some exciting news!

Cle France has partnered with Regency FX, a trusted and fully safeguarded currency exchange provider, to bring you even better service and exclusive benefits when transferring money internationally.

Why Regency FX?

Unlike other providers, Regency FX offers:

✅ Full transparency – Track and manage your transactions in real time via their secure online platform.

✅ Safeguarded transfers – All transfers are fully protected for your peace of mind.

✅ Preferential rates – Exclusive exchange rates available only to Cle France clients.

Whether you’re buying a property, making regular payments, or transferring funds for renovations, Regency FX makes the process fast, clear, and reliable.

Special Offer – Win a £250 Amazon Voucher!

To celebrate our new partnership, all clients who open a Regency FX account during July will be entered into a prize draw to win a £250 Amazon gift voucher!

Don’t miss out - open your account today and start benefiting from the advantages of a smarter, safer currency exchange.

Set Up Your Account Now, it is quick and easy...

Kind regards, 
David Evans 
Co-Founder of Cle France.

Very soon, le quatorze juillet (July 14), is la fête nationale française, known in many parts of the world as Bastille Day.

If you are like many francophiles, you may think this day celebrates the storming of the royal prison of la Bastille on July 14, 1789, and you’d be right, but only partly so...

Officially established as la fête nationale (the national holiday) by the French Assemblé in 1880, the festivities do indeed celebrate the storming of the Bastille as the start of the revolution, but perhaps more importantly the 14th is also the anniversary of la Fête de la Fédération (a celebration of the ideals of the French Revolution – la liberté, la fraternité, et l’égalité / liberty, brotherhood, and equality – and of the nation) during which Louis XVI himself (before, of course, famously losing his head later!) and other representatives of the young republic swore an oath to the constitution, promising to uphold the laws of the new nation.

The ceremonies of this first Fête de la Fédération were led by the Marquis de LaFayette (whom Louis XVI had named as commander of the troops in Paris after his return from supporting the American colonists in their recent bids to win independence from the other great European monarchy of the day, Great Britain) and took place on the Champs de mars  (named, not for the month of March, but for the Roman god of battle, Mars [Greek: Ares or Aries]) which is framed today by the Eiffel Tower at one end and Hôtel des Invalides at the other.

As today, the early celebrations of the 14th July involved local dances and military parades. In 1989, year of the bicentennial celebrations, I was lucky enough to spend juillet in Paris and to participate in three days of bals, defilies, feux d’artifices, and more (balls, parades, fireworks).

La nuit du 14 (the night of the 14th), we even went out to a night club after the final fireworks, danced till dawn, and then went back to the Champs-Élysées for le petit-déjeuner au levé du soleil! (breakfast at sunrise).

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

Pound awaits rate decision this week.

A few major events scheduled for later this week…

We have both US and UK interest rate decisions.

These are considered high impacts events. Currencies are very sensitive to interest rate news.

Sterling managed to gain against the Euro and US Dollar on Monday (yes, it was still trading despite the UK bank holiday).

That might have surprised a few investors as the Bank of England is expected to cut rates this Thursday.

The statement accompanying its decision will also be closely watched.

Some economists are calling for quicker cuts as global growth is expected to take a hit from Trump's tariffs.

However, the jump in EU in inflation late last week may make the Bank of England more cautious though.

The US Federal Reserve is also meeting this week on Wednesday.

The Dollar has taken a beating so far in 2025. So, a few encouraging words from the Fed may go a long way. No doubt, President Trump will be watching and tweeting too.

There’s plenty going on in the world right now.

So what next, what should you do?

If you have a currency requirement, it’s always worth reaching out so we can take advantage of the increased volatility.

To speak to a member of our team, just call 01872 487 500.

Or to find out our latest rates, click below.

Get ahead of the game and read our Guide to Foreign Currency Exchange.

Download the Guide Here - with no obligation of course.

Kind regards, 
David Evans 
Co-Founder of Cle France.

1. Great exchange rates
2. Quick and easy transfers
3. No transfer fees
4. Expert help and guidance
5. Authorised by the FCA

Current rates: 

Tuesday 6th May 2025 at 10:15

£1.00 GBP = 1.1755 EUR

£1.00 GBP = 1.3315 USD

£1.00 GBP = 2.0655 AUD

£1.00 GBP = 2.2285 NZD

£1.00 GBP = 1.8405 CAD

£1.00 GBP = 1.0965 CHF

• Want to Learn More?

• We have created a selection of Free PDF Guides for you to download covering many aspects of buying property abroad, visit our PDF Guides Page today or download our "Buying A Property in France" Guide PDF document.
•  
  • At Clé France / Regency FX, many of our customers have a need for currency exchange.
  • We are pleased to offer our customers favourable exchange rates on international currency transfers.
  • As a Clé France website visitor, you qualify for preferential exchange rates when you transact through Regency FX.

How to Save Money on your foreign currency transfers

• Regency FX can save you money by offering more competitive rates of exchange than your bank.
• Clients can typically save you 3-4% of the total transaction value, which can result in significant cost savings.
• All client funds are held in segregated accounts with top-tier banks keeping your money safe and secure.

For everything you need to know about French property visit www.clefrance.co.uk

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