Yet Mr Douroux cannot buy his way into New York or London without the agreement of the regional banks who own the caisse.

ECONOMIST: Beast of the field

The other big investor with TPG's real-estate program is Ivanhoe Cambridge, the property investor for Canadian pension manager Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec.

WSJ: Buyout Firm to Try Hand At Fund

Two nationalised French financial firms, Caisse des Depots et Consignations and La Banque Postale, are taking over Dexia's economically important business providing financing to municipal government.

BBC: Dexia: The burden on Belgian and French taxpayers

Paulinho was part of a six-man break, which included French pair Pierre Rolland and Maxime Bouet, but he and Caisse d'Epargne's Kiryienka eventually finished over a minute ahead of the other four.

BBC: Sergio Paulinho snatches Tour de France stage win

Contador has kept quiet in the lead up to the race, although he has been strongly linked with a possible move to the Caisse d'Epargne team but 1996 Tour winner Bjarne Riis is under no illusions about Contador's chances.

CNN: 'Nervous' Armstrong eyes eighth Tour success

The next two safest banks according to Global Finance are Caisse des Depots et Consignations - created by French King Louis XVIII in 1816 to manage the pension funds of state employees - and Bank Nederlandse Gemeenten, 50% owned by the state and 50% by the provinces.

BBC: How do countries run their state banks?