There’s a sense of urgency behind these changes. Hundreds of financial companies may need to relocate thousands of London-based workers before Britain leaves the European Union by the end of March 2019, the withdrawal known as Brexit. Otherwise, these companies could lose their financial passporting rights, which grants them privileged access to the 27 countries that will remain in the European Union.

That has set off a high-stakes international competition among a handful of cities hoping to become Europe’s financial capital. Decision time is looming. The Brexit negotiation breakthrough announced on Friday merely solved preliminary issues that allow the next round of talks to commence. Under the current timetable, a final agreement must be signed well before the March 2019 deadline.

Paris is vying against Dublin, Frankfurt and Luxembourg in a pageant that is not primarily about beauty. What is prized most in boardrooms is an array of business-friendly laws, regulations and culture — the sort of warm welcome that Paris once defiantly refused to offer.

“When you grow up in France, none of the heroes you learn about are entrepreneurs,” said Brigitte Granville, a professor of economics at Queen Mary University of London, who was raised in France. “When someone gets rich in France, people immediately ask, ‘What did he do to make this money? He must be a nasty person.’”