Defense: Lyon SMEs on a war footing

“Producing weapons isn't dirty.” Since the short phrase uttered by the Minister of the Armed Forces on March 20th during a conference at Bercy, bringing together public, private, and defense industry investors on financing the sector, France has shifted its paradigm and its vision. The idea: to no longer associate weapons with war but with peace. The sector suffers from an image deficit: manufacturing weapons is not, after all, trivial. “The first battle is cultural and, I dare say, political,” he continued. Understand: if you invest in producing weapons, your hands won't be dirty. From being outcasts, arms companies are now officially praised by bankers and investment funds. Until now confidential, defense-focused investment funds are now on the rise. The first product launched by the public bank Bpifrance is a fund, whose objective is to reach 450 million euros. In concrete terms, each French person will be able to invest money in increments of 500 euros up to a few thousand euros (the maximum is still uncertain), which will be blocked for five years. In other words, everyone will be able to become a shareholder in a defense sector company. For the time being, the amount of the remuneration is not yet known.