Saudi Arabia and France Deepen Investment Partnership Amid Vision 2030 Opportunities
Paris, The Gulf Observer: The French-Saudi Investment Roundtable was held in Paris on Monday during the visit of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to France. The event brought together senior government officials, business leaders and chief executives from both countries to explore new opportunities for investment and economic cooperation.
Saudi Minister of Investment Fahad bin Abduljalil Al-Saif said Saudi-French relations, which span a century, had entered a new phase of economic and investment cooperation. He cited the complementary strengths of French expertise in technology, industry, finance and innovation alongside the ambitious objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
Al-Saif noted that French foreign direct investment stock in Saudi Arabia reached €16.3 billion in 2024, doubling over five years and making France the Kingdom’s fourth-largest source of foreign direct investment. French investors currently hold more than 650 investment licences across 18 sectors.
He said Saudi Arabia had emerged as one of the fastest-growing G20 economies under Vision 2030, with GDP increasing by around 85% since 2017, while non-oil activities now account for more than half of GDP. Foreign direct investment inflows reached approximately €6.1 billion in the first quarter of 2026, registering year-on-year growth of 2.4%.
The Saudi minister highlighted energy, financial services, digital infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, transport and logistics, gaming and tourism as sectors offering significant opportunities for French investors. He also pointed to expanding cooperation in conventional energy, petrochemicals and clean energy, noting that French companies play an active role in Saudi Arabia’s transition towards renewable energy and related technologies.
The financial sector was identified as a major area for cooperation, with Saudi Arabia continuing efforts to deepen and broaden its financial system. Al-Saif noted that the Saudi Exchange remains the largest and most liquid stock market in the Middle East and North Africa.
Highlighting the Kingdom’s rapidly developing gaming and esports sector, he said Saudi Arabia’s young and highly engaged market offered opportunities for intellectual property development, content production, specialised employment and the creation of globally competitive companies.
Al-Saif also highlighted the Regional Headquarters (RHQ) Program, which has attracted more than 750 companies, including 39 French companies operating across eight sectors. He said the Saudi Cabinet’s recent approval of offshore financial activities would further strengthen the Kingdom’s position as a regional platform for international companies.
French Minister of Economy and Finance Roland Lescure underscored the strategic importance of Saudi-French relations, identifying energy and logistics security as key pillars of the partnership. He described Saudi Arabia as a reliable partner in supporting global energy market stability and as an important link connecting the Middle East with Europe in energy and logistics.
Lescure also highlighted the alignment between Saudi Vision 2030 and France 2030, noting that French companies’ presence in Saudi Arabia had evolved beyond sales activities to include joint production and deeper industrial cooperation.
The roundtable featured a session titled “Saudi Arabia and France: Partnership for the Future,” which examined prospects for strengthening private-sector partnerships. Business leaders held strategic discussions around financing transformative destinations, advancing industrial partnerships into projects, developing transport and logistics networks, and building the digital future through artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure.
The meeting underscored the expanding economic relationship between Saudi Arabia and France, with bilateral trade reaching SAR 44.2 billion in 2025. French direct investment stock in the Kingdom stood at SAR 63.9 billion in 2024, more than double its 2021 level.
As Saudi Vision 2030 enters its final delivery phase, the meeting highlighted expanding opportunities for French companies to participate in the Kingdom’s economic transformation and for Saudi and French businesses to develop high-value, long-term investment partnerships across strategic sectors.
