fDi Intelligence

A publication from FT Locations providing coverage on investment destinations and the latest trends driving FDI.

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Keep up to date with the latest trends driving foreign direct investment #FDI Sign up to our weekly newsletters @ https://t.co/l9KzwRcs3f

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In today’s match of the day in the FDI World Cup, co-hosts Canada play Bosnia and Herzegovina.

2,239 projects versus 88 but there’s almost nothing in it when it comes to FDI growth rate (2021-2025).

Who will have the edge on the pitch when the teams meet in Toronto later today?

#WorldCup #Canada #BosniaHerzegovina

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The football (soccer) World Cup starts today in Canada, Mexico and the US. To celebrate we’ve crunched the foreign direct investment numbers to see how the countries match up.

Welcome to The FDI World Cup.

The opening match sees Mexico take on South Africa. Here’s how they fare:

Mexico ranks higher both in FIFA and in FDI rankings, with the FDI score based on the number of inbound greenfield investment projects a country attracts. Mexico has 2,172 projects compared with South Africa’s 727 (2021-2025). Mexico also records more projects per million people than South Africa, highlighting its stronger investment intensity.

South Africa, however, edges ahead on FDI growth, making this a closer contest.

#WorldCup #MexSA

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Mississippi governor Tate Reeves on Japanese FDI, small government and taking on the data centre jobs critics https://t.co/kOHbQuF2bK

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Are climate ambitions colliding with investment reality?

For years, renewable energy has dominated greenfield investment. But in 2026 fossil-fuel FDI surged back, driven by geopolitical tensions, energy security concerns and major policy shifts in the US.

The result? A growing gap between climate ambitions and investment decisions.

In our latest blog, Thomas Cowderoy examines why investors are returning to coal, oil and gas projects, what this means for the pace of the energy transition, and how locations can position themselves in an increasingly complex energy landscape.

Read the full blog: https://t.co/hkyKXBJytY

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The cost of underinvesting in training

More than half of economic development organisations and investment promotion agencies say limited time, staffing or budgets make it difficult to measure performance effectively. Without the right skills, proving impact, evaluating strategy and making informed decisions becomes more challenging. As competition for investment intensifies, capacity building is becoming a competitive advantage. Read our latest blog to learn why training is now critical to winning investment: https://t.co/NcvfbIUQov

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How are businesses adapting their international growth strategies?

Geopolitical uncertainty, shifting trade relationships and increasing regulatory demands are forcing companies to rethink how and where they expand. As organisations balance growth ambitions with rising complexity, international expansion strategies are evolving.

Join FT Locations and TMF Group on 24 June for a live webinar featuring Jonathan Wildsmith, Consultant at fDi Strategies, alongside Maja Mandela, Mark Rosson and Aynsley Vaughan from TMF Group. The discussion will explore the factors shaping international growth, from location strategy and market entry models to the role of governance and local expertise.

Register now to secure your place: https://t.co/Mb9TBgBUEc

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Robotics firm Agility has proven Oregon’s ‘realistic and rational’ deeptech potential https://t.co/sZvmne8aGk

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Volvo Cars CEO Håkan Samuelsson discusses how regionalisation increases capex needs https://t.co/q1DOeGRvuR

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Can Alberta, Canada, turn tourism into a major growth engine and unlock year-round interest? Read the special report here: https://t.co/SyQLcMCe3b

Supported by Travel Alberta

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Spanish hotel group Meliá has cut ties with 15 properties it manages in Cuba https://t.co/uPwonv0BhA

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TikTok's $40bn Brazilian data centre project faces questions on data security, environmental impacts and indigenous rights https://t.co/nljrFxJg4g

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The US is expected to outperform its G7 peers in 2026

Despite rising trade tensions and geopolitical uncertainty, the US economy is forecast to grow by around 2.3% in 2026.

While this is slightly below its 10-year average growth rate of 2.43%, the slowdown is less pronounced than in many other G7 economies. As a result, the US is expected to remain closer to its long-term growth trend than that of its peers, underlining the relative resilience of the world’s largest economy.

Explore the date behind the headlines with fDi Benchmark: https://t.co/houV6FTvMs

Sign up to our monthly newsletter to receive free FDI insights: https://t.co/IEP5cF643b

Register to our upcoming webinar to learn how to attract the next wave of semiconductor FDI: https://t.co/vWfOMDFsD2

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Alberta's ambitious targets point to opportunities for a new wave of investment in tourist infrastructure https://t.co/nywiYb4Jfx

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China's industrial robotics lead is being exported around the world https://t.co/PRfAkmRzlw

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The Starlink and Tesla market entries offer many lessons about doing business in South America https://t.co/81pw7vCNF3

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SoftBank has announced plans to invest up to €75bn into AI infrastructure in France, marking a continuation of data centres targeting countries with cheaper power and fast-track processes to get connected https://t.co/wzZIprxNKy

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Delaware governor Matt Meyer hits back at Dexit claims https://t.co/Y5vn9fciga

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Foreign and domestic producers are striving for a piece of the fast-growing south-east Asian EV market https://t.co/Za0M3ysqei

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The race for semiconductor investment is intensifying. Is your location ready?

As governments redraw supply chains and companies including TSMC, Intel and Samsung invest billions in new facilities, competition for semiconductor FDI has become global and fierce.

Join FT Locations experts Chris Knight, Joy Priya Somasundram and Glenn Barklie for a data-led webinar exploring the trends shaping semiconductor investment, what investors are prioritising, and what investment promotion agencies and economic development organisations must do to compete for the next wave of projects.

24 June | 2–3pm BST | 9-10am EDT

Register now to attend: https://t.co/ID9SQsO0U2

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How Spain became a magnet for Chinese investment

A recent Financial Times article by Henry Foy, uses fDi Markets data to show the sharp rise in Chinese FDI projects and pledged capital investment in Spain over the past decade.

The data highlights Spain’s growing role as a gateway for Chinese companies expanding across Europe, particularly through greenfield investment and manufacturing projects aimed at strengthening regional market access.

fDi Markets remains one of the most comprehensive real-time sources for tracking global greenfield investment, helping organisations understand where capital is flowing, which sectors are gaining momentum and how investment patterns are evolving.

Read the full FT article: https://t.co/1rfJCAb1aa

Learn more about how fDi Markets: https://t.co/jyzjsXRPlg

Explore deeper FDI insights on the Knowledge Hub
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