Reportedly, HSBC in recent weeks told some clients it would not renew their loan agreements. The bank had earlier stopped lending to private credit funds that failed to deliver returns sufficient to compensate for their risk. HSBC said it will concentrate on supporting its most important clients globally and on transactions in regions it regards as having the greatest growth potential.

On the 7th, the French National Assembly rejected an opposition no-confidence motion over the government's handling of the heatwave, leaving Prime Minister Le Cornu's government in place.

French President Macron arrived in Syria on July 7, becoming the first EU head of state to visit since the fall of the Assad regime in 2024. Reconstruction cooperation is the visit’s core focus; TotalEnergies and CMA CGM’s chief executive joined the delegation. Macron is expected to meet President Assad, reiterate French support for a free, pluralistic Syria, and press Syria not to deploy forces to Lebanon. The agenda also covers counterterrorism cooperation and upgrading Franco-Syrian diplomatic ties.