Complaints from retail investors to theAutorité des Marchés Financiers mediator rose 37% in 2025, the sharpest annualincrease since the mediator began tracking the data.The AMF mediationservice received 3,010 new requests and closed 2,772 cases, up 41% from 2024.Its backlog also rose to 693 cases from 455 a year earlier.PEA Transfers DriveComplaintsThe Plan d'Épargne enActions (PEA), France's tax-advantaged equity account, was the largest sourceof complaints.London's trading industry is coming home!Closed PEA-relatedcases rose 150% to 462. Transfer delays accounted for almost three quarters ofthem. The mediator linked the increase partly to foreign brokers entering theFrench PEA market from late 2024, with some using transfer procedures unfamiliarto French custodians.Foreign brokers wereinvolved in 151 transfer complaints. The mediator declined jurisdiction in 97cases because the brokers' terms directed clients to other dispute-resolutionarrangements.Order Execution DisputesRetail investors alsoraised complaints about order execution.One case involved atrailing stop order that did not trigger at the level initially set. The brokerexplained that the threshold adjusts as the market price rises. The mediatorfound the execution correct.Another case involveda leveraged-product trade that was cancelled after a dividend adjustmentresulted in a mispriced execution. The mediator upheld the decision under thevenue's rules.Trading Access DelaysA separate caseinvolved a technical problem that delayed a retail investor's trading-accountaccess from April 9 to May 8, 2025.The investor hadplanned to buy shares that rose significantly during the delay. The mediatorsecured compensation based on the relevant price difference, rejecting thebroker's attempt to exclude liability under its general terms.Crypto Complaints RiseComplaints involvingcrypto-assets increased 38% to 148 cases, although only about 30% wereadmissible for mediation.The main issuesinvolved accounts being frozen during anti-money-laundering checks and disputesover transfers to external wallets. The mediator also noted cases wheretwo-factor authentication had not been activated.The AMF mediatorlinked much of the overall increase to “the entry of cross-border brokers intoFrance's PEA market” and “growing retail exposure” to newer investmentproducts.This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.