This is the third part of an in-depth study achieved during the 1991-1993 period on "the strategies of French banks in Europe". The first section was published in Bank Archiv, No 1, 1992, under the title: "The European strategies of French banks". As for the second part, which focussed on "Cross-border alliances of French banks in Europe", it came out in Bank Archiv, No 5, 1993. This part deals with strategies for cross-border acquisitions throughout Europe by French banks. These 3 articles are derived from a research conducted with the financial backing of the Banque Paribas.