FDI

Despite its small population of just 1.3 million, Estonia is punching well above its weight on the global stage. It’s an active member of the European Union and most international organisations and ranks very well by most global measurements when it comes to the business environment: first in the International Tax Competitive Index, third in the Index of Economic Freedom in the EU (ninth in the world), sixth in Trading Across Borders, 14th in Ease of Doing Business, and second in Internet Freedom. Indeed, were the internet to have a postal address, it would most likely be in Estonia. It has a reason to be proud of its highly developed telecommunications network.

In just 20 years, Estonia has become one of the most wired and technologically advanced countries in the world – a true digital society. With internet access declared a human right, some of the fastest broadband speeds in the world widely available all across the country, and digital public services embedded into the daily lives of individuals and organisations, the country is now commonly called “e-Estonia”.

New funding soon to be changing the business landscape of Inverness and the wider Highlands area Pulls New projects funded by the City Deal will focus on the attraction and retention of young people in a region that has traditionally seen their out-migration.

In March this year it was confirmed that Inverness and the wider Highlands area would benefit from a £315 million investment deal to improve transport links, digital connectivity and develop the region as a science and technology hub. This landmark investment comes from three main sources. Over a 10-year period the UK Government has committed £53.1 million, £127 million is from the Highland Council and its regional partners and the Scottish Government has committed a further £135 million. This significant funding agreement provides a transformative opportunity for Inverness and the Highlands. As investment is delivered it will help to position Inverness and the wider Highlands as a region of digital opportunity and strength, creating the best digitally connected rural region in Europe.

Cuba looks like a profitable investment destination, and the Caribbean country is in search of foreign funding to become the new nucleus for global trade.

Home to more than 11 million consumers, it is only 198 nautical miles from the Port of Havana to the Port of Miami, and European businesses have already set up home on the island. But is it still risky business?
Cuba’s communist government first opened to international firms in the 1990’s during the financial crisis instigated by the collapse of the Soviet Union. So far the results have been mixed, with approximately 60% of the foreign investment projects closing down. While the 2011 market-oriented reforms were meant to create a more productive economy, Cuba’s growth from 2011 – 2013 averaged at only approximately 2.3% per year, and dropped to a 1.3% expansion in 2014. Barack Obama’s visit to Cuba last month was the first time a US president visited since Calvin Coolidge in 1928, with many hoping that the island nation’s virtually non-existent foreign business investments would get a kick start.

In today’s competitive globally-focused commercial landscape, having a stable, business-friendly platform has never been more important, and the Channel Island of Jersey is finding it consistently ticks the right boxes across a broad range of business sectors.

Locate Jersey, part of the Economic Development Department within the Government of Jersey, is the body responsible for promoting, attracting and retaining inward investment for Jersey by focusing efforts on economic growth and supporting high value individuals and their families who are looking to relocate.

One of the biggest recent developments in auto industry site selection took place in the summer of 2014 when BMW announced plans to build a $1 billion manufacturing facility in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. When the plant comes online in 2019, it is expected to churn out some 150,000 units per year.

The announcement came less than two years after Audi had announced its own plant in Mexico, a $1.3 billion facility San Jose Chiapa, where the Q5 luxury SUV will be produced this year. These dual announcements were significant for several key reasons. First, the high-profile decisions of BMW and Audi showed a strong vote of confidence in the ability of Mexico to produce high-end luxury automobiles. For a while, Mexico was considered primarily as a low-cost destination for manufacturers to crank out compact and sub-compact cars. The two luxury, German automakers quickly dispelled that myth, both citing faith in the capabilities of the Mexican workforce and its established heritage in the auto sector.

A few miles across the English Channel from France and Belgium you’ll find the South East of England, one of the country’s most attractive and prosperous regions. It’s also home to Basingstoke, an economic powerhouse that punches well above its weight, surrounded by beautiful English countryside but still within an easy hour’s reach of London.

Over a century after Thomas Burberry, founder of iconic fashion brand Burberry, opened the doors to his first store, this once market town saw the sixties and seventies remap its core to help accommodate the London overspill, resulting in its rise as a place of economic importance in the UK with many world known brands like The AA, AXA Wealth, De La Rue, Sony, Fujitsu and Motorola making it their home.

Property investors and business leaders, no matter where they are in the world, know all about London. It’s a ‘must be there’ location for many leading global businesses.

From an investor point of view, it has provided significant returns for many property investors. Stable and consistent capital appreciation and yield delivery contribute to London’s reputation as a global investment haven.

With values and demand for property, both commercial and residential, now ahead of pre-recessionary levels, price rises have put city centre property beyond the comfortable reach of an ever growing demographic of housebuyers, renters and indeed the commercial occupiers who have helped make the city what it is today.

Centrally located within Europe, Canton Aargau is one of Switzerland’s most attractive economic areas. The offers excellent national and international connections, an attractive tax environment and a concentration of high-tech expertise. It is renowned for its research and educational institutions and the high-quality of its residential and living facilities. Its outstanding location, just a short distance from the inter- national airports in Zurich and Basel, means that companies profit from proximity to customers and partners as well as internationally experienced logistics providers.

Canton Aargau offers idyllic living close to beautiful rural environments as well as historical cities with lively cultural leisure options.These factors make Canton Aargu a place where you and your employees can all benefit. Here we speak with Annelise Alig Anderhalden, Head of Economic Promotion of the canton of Aargau.