This is a list of French colonial trading companies established under a royal charter to conduct trade between France and its colonies.
[1] Beginning in 1626, Cardinal Richelieu, acting as Grandmaster of Navigation and Commerce [fr], authorized a range of companies to monopolize trade around the world in line with French interests, as well as expand French colonies and convert local populations to Catholicism.
These ambitions were further expanded under Jean-Baptiste Colbert with the founding of the French East and West Indies companies in 1664.
Their charter could also include oversight and control of colonies, including ensuring security, issuing currency, and imposing local taxes.
They also often engaged in military conflicts to protect their trade monopolies.