JPMorgan executive open to talks with France’s far-right National Rally

JPMorgan is open to engaging with France’s far-right National Rally (RN) ahead of next year’s presidential election, a senior regional executive at the US bank says, as large companies reassess how they deal with a party gaining in the polls.

Matthieu Wiltz, co-CEO of JPMorgan’s Europe, Middle East and Africa region, told reporters at a conference yesterday that he was willing to speak with all political parties when asked specifically about RN.

“We try to have dialogue with all of (the political parties). I’m happy to talk to anyone,” he says. “I really want to explain why it’s important to have strong banks and strong European corporates, and why that would benefit France in the long term — and the European Union as well.”

For years, blue-chip companies largely avoided engaging with the RN, but with polls suggesting it could win the 2027 election, many are now trying to better understand and influence its economic agenda.

National Rally president Jordan Bardella met the country’s leading employer federation last month.

Earlier in April, Marine Le Pen, the long-time leader of the RN and a three-time presidential candidate, attended a dinner in Paris with several of France’s most prominent executives, including the chiefs of oil major TotalEnergies and luxury group LVMH, sources say.

Despite this outreach, the RN has yet to fully win over much of France’s corporate establishment, where executives remain cautious about its shifting economic positions.