French Economy Likely to Grow at Least 0.8% in 2025, Finance Minister Says

French Minister for Economy, Finance, and Industrial, Energy and Digital Sovereignty Roland Lescure attends the 7th formal meeting of the Franco-Chinese Business Council in Beijing on December 4, 2025. (Reuters)
French Minister for Economy, Finance, and Industrial, Energy and Digital Sovereignty Roland Lescure attends the 7th formal meeting of the Franco-Chinese Business Council in Beijing on December 4, 2025. (Reuters)
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French Economy Likely to Grow at Least 0.8% in 2025, Finance Minister Says

French Minister for Economy, Finance, and Industrial, Energy and Digital Sovereignty Roland Lescure attends the 7th formal meeting of the Franco-Chinese Business Council in Beijing on December 4, 2025. (Reuters)
French Minister for Economy, Finance, and Industrial, Energy and Digital Sovereignty Roland Lescure attends the 7th formal meeting of the Franco-Chinese Business Council in Beijing on December 4, 2025. (Reuters)

Unless there is a sharp reversal in the final three months of the year, the French economy is likely to grow by at least 0.8% in 2025, outpacing the 0.7% that the government had anticipated, Finance Minister Roland Lescure said on Sunday.

"We will most likely exceed the government's growth forecast for this year. We had predicted 0.7%, but I think we will have at least 0.8%. That's good news," Lescure told LCI television.

"So we would really need to have a bad fourth quarter, which I don't believe will happen, for us to be below 0.8%, so 0.8% is within reach," he added.

France's economy grew 0.5% in the third quarter, final data from statistics office INSEE showed in November, reflecting resilience in the euro zone's second-largest economy.



Miami Hosts FII Summit on Wednesday, Eyes Role of Capital in Global Shifts

PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan during a previous FII summit in Miami. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan during a previous FII summit in Miami. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Miami Hosts FII Summit on Wednesday, Eyes Role of Capital in Global Shifts

PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan during a previous FII summit in Miami. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan during a previous FII summit in Miami. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Miami will host the fourth FII PRIORITY summit from March 25 to 27 under the theme “Capital in Motion,” as global economic and geopolitical shifts accelerate and investments and ideas move faster across borders and sectors.

More than 1,500 business leaders, policymakers and investors from the United States, Latin America, the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Africa will gather to rethink global capital flows and advance sustainable, inclusive growth.

The Future Investment Initiative Institute said the summit comes “at a moment when capital is being reallocated, repriced and reimagined,” adding that understanding and shaping these shifts responsibly is what brings this global community together.

The summit opens with a special forum titled “The New LATAM Order,” featuring sessions on the macroeconomic outlook for the Americas and discussions on who stands to gain from the emerging economic system and how capital is flowing through the region’s digital economy.

The focus reflects Latin America’s rising role in the global economy, with sessions examining investment in infrastructure and digital transformation, including whether the region’s infrastructure can become a global platform and where capital is heading in the digital economy.

Participants include Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan and Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb.

International executives include Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, Mary Erdoes of JPMorgan and Nelson Griggs of Nasdaq.

Sessions will also examine investment ties and economic relations, including the resilience of US-Gulf investment partnerships and the future structure of US-Latin American agreements as economic alliances evolve.

Technology will take center stage, with discussions on artificial intelligence and the digital economy, including where returns on AI investment are emerging and how infrastructure for the AI economy is being built, alongside debates on whether governments are leading or following in the AI race.

The agenda also covers energy and resources, including how energy deals could reshape power and profitability, the race for critical minerals, and aviation and tourism, with sessions on competitiveness and investment in travel infrastructure.

Emerging sectors will feature prominently, including the creator economy, gaming and the role of sports and culture in generating returns, reflecting the growing weight of the creative economy.

Broader themes include the global economic outlook, the flow of power and capital and how to address a $3 trillion exit crisis, alongside closed sessions for decision-makers to set investment priorities.

US President Donald Trump will deliver the closing address on March 27 as the guest of honor, underscoring the summit’s role as a platform linking politics, economics, and investment.

The event also reinforces Miami’s position as a strategic bridge between North and South America and a hub for redirecting global capital flows, while setting the stage for the 10th Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh later this year.


Saudi ADES Suspends Some Offshore Rigs in the Gulf

The group said it is working closely with clients and relevant stakeholders to monitor developments. Photo: ADES
The group said it is working closely with clients and relevant stakeholders to monitor developments. Photo: ADES
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Saudi ADES Suspends Some Offshore Rigs in the Gulf

The group said it is working closely with clients and relevant stakeholders to monitor developments. Photo: ADES
The group said it is working closely with clients and relevant stakeholders to monitor developments. Photo: ADES

Saudi Arabia’s ADES Holding Company announced it has temporarily suspended some of its offshore drilling rigs in the Gulf Cooperation Council due to ongoing regional tensions.

ADES said in a statement that the suspensions are expected to be short-term.

The group also said it is working closely with clients and relevant stakeholders to monitor developments and ensure operational readiness and stressed that the safety of its personnel and assets remains a top priority.

Despite the current situation, the company announced its EBITDA guidance for 2026 in the range of SAR4.50 billion to SAR4.87 billion, implying a 33% to 44% increase compared with the upper end of its 2025 guidance of SAR3.39 billion.

The outlook reflects improved visibility on earnings drivers across its expanded platform and continued confidence in the resilience of its diversified operations.


South Korea Seeks Omani Support on Oil, LNG

FILE PHOTO: People walk on a zebra crossing in front of the buliding of Bank of Korea in Seoul, South Korea, July 14, 2016.  REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: People walk on a zebra crossing in front of the buliding of Bank of Korea in Seoul, South Korea, July 14, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo
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South Korea Seeks Omani Support on Oil, LNG

FILE PHOTO: People walk on a zebra crossing in front of the buliding of Bank of Korea in Seoul, South Korea, July 14, 2016.  REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: People walk on a zebra crossing in front of the buliding of Bank of Korea in Seoul, South Korea, July 14, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Tuesday asked his ⁠Omani counterpart for support ⁠on crude oil ⁠and LNG supplies, Cho's office said, due to shipment disruptions linked to the ⁠conflict ⁠in the Middle East.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Cho made the request during a phone call with Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Albusaidi, as the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran has disrupted global energy supply routes through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s chokehold on the crucial Strait of Hormuz has snarled international shipping, sent fuel prices skyrocketing and threatened the world economy.