A wealthy French businessman told senators this week he wants to give away his entire fortune to charity instead of leaving it to his five children. Pierre-Edouard Sterin made the unusual request during a public hearing at the French Senate last Thursday.
"I would like to give my entire estate to philanthropic causes," Sterin told lawmakers. He added that he believed people should have complete freedom to decide what happens to their wealth.
There's just one problem: French law won't allow it. Under the nation's civil code, children have guaranteed inheritance rights that parents cannot override.
France protects what's called "la réserve héréditaire"—a legal safeguard ensuring offspring receive a minimum share of their parent's estate. With five children, Sterin must leave at least 75 percent of his assets to his family by law.
Only 25 percent is his to give away freely.
Sterin's net worth sits around €1.3 billion, roughly $1.4 billion. His children are legally entitled to inherit approximately €975 million under current rules.
He's asking the Senate to change that entirely.
This inheritance protection dates back centuries. Napoleon wrote family safeguards into French law in the early 1800s.
Countries like the United States and United Kingdom allow complete testamentary freedom. France has resisted that approach.
Sterin, 52, built Smartbox into a European powerhouse before selling it. That transaction created most of his wealth.
He later founded Otium Capital, an investment fund, and established his own charity foundation.
His views on inheritance aren't brand new. He previously told French financial weekly Challenges that his children would get nothing from him.
"It's a real freedom to start with nothing," he said at the time.
What's changed is his decision to take this position public. He put it on the Senate record for all to see.
Sterin's appearance wasn't mainly about inheritance though. Senators called him to testify about his Périclès project, a private initiative launched in 2024.
The project aims to strengthen right-wing political and cultural influence across France.
He's become one of France's most publicly controversial billionaires. Sterin describes himself as deeply conservative and close to traditionalist Catholicism.
His politics have drawn significant attention and criticism.
François Durvye runs Sterin's Otium Capital fund. Multiple French media outlets report that Durvye belongs to Marine Le Pen's inner circle.
In 2025, Sterin co-organized the Summit of Freedoms alongside media entrepreneur Vincent Bolloré.
That gathering brought together conservative politicians and media figures from across the right. A New York Times investigation described Sterin as the billionaire funding France's far right.
His Senate testimony about inheritance comes against this broader political backdrop. The hearing committee, led by Senator Colombe Brossel, has been investigating private financing of public policy.
Sterin's activities fall squarely within that inquiry's scope.
Whether lawmakers will seriously consider changing French inheritance law remains unclear. The principle protecting children's rights runs deep in French culture and legal tradition.
Changing it would require significant political will.
