Investment promotion agencies, also known as IPAs, still have relatively little influence in the decision making of foreign investors. The World Bank recently surveyed 754 executives of multinational corporations investing in developing countries, and only 43% of them gave the services of IPAs some importance, whereas most of them recognised elements such as “transparency and predictability in the conduct of public agencies”, or investment protection guarantees provided in the host country’s laws” as the most important investment climate factors. Yet some successful experiences of nationa ..read more

Following the SelectUSA Investment Summit in Washington in mid-June, fDi's Courtney Fingar tells podcast host Jacopo Dettoni how US domestic firms as well as foreign investors are reacting to the Trump administration's business agenda. Hear what the chiefs of General Electric and General Motors, among others, had to say. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information ..read more

Covid-19 has disrupted global markets. While a majority of sectors hope to be able to go back to a "new normal" in the mid-term, others will have to adjust to longer lasting changes. The fDi team singles out three of the sectors that will never be the same again after Covid-19. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information ..read more

Jon-Paul Doran, CEO & founder of UK medicinal cannabis company Eco Equity, tells fDi's Sebastian Shehadi about his experience of investing in the cannabis market in Zimbabwe and the Carribbean. The global cannabis market is growing at breakneck pace, however, navigating this 'green rush' is not easy and failure rates are extremely high. With cannabis stocks taking a plunge in the second half of 2019, it remains to be seen whether foreign investment in the industry will continue its exponential growth, as witnessed over the last few years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy fo ..read more

The president of the United States, Donald Trump, has made sanctions a distinctive element of his foreign policy. In fact, sanctions appears to have become his foreign-policy weapon of choice. He used (and enforced) them against numerous countries, from China all the way to Venezuela, Iran, North Korea and others. Investors suddenly had to adjust and find ways to deal with the White House’s growing level of economic aggressiveness. Matt Oresman, leading lawyer in the international public policy practice at law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman digs deeper into the perils of navigating ..read more

“The Pearl of the Orient” has built a reputation for stability and modernity over the decades, with its iconic financial centre at the heart of it. Now it all hangs in the balance as the mounting protests of the last weeks are lifting the veil on the challenges posed by the “One country, two systems” model as China becomes more assertive in the way it handles the ongoing transition ending in 2047. Early evidence suggests that financial and physical capital is being moved out of the country already. Podcast host Jacopo Dettoni spoke to three expats professionals working in the city’s financial ..read more

Much like the rest of the world, investment promotion agencies (IPAs) are grappling with a new world order underpinned by geopolitical instability and rising inflation. fDi Intelligence’s global investment reporter Seth O’Farrell travelled to the World Investment Conference organised by Waipa (the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies), held in Geneva between 12 and 14 September, to find out what IPA directors had to say in all of this. This podcast episode explores the extent to which IPAs are at a juncture as their role changes into a more proactive one, how concerns over ener ..read more

The beginning of 2022 has been among the most turbulent in recent memory. Since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, millions of people have fled the country. Alongside billions of dollars worth of damage in Ukraine, the war has caused global prices for everything from fuel to food to soar. Multilateral institutions have subsequently downgraded their economic forecasts for many countries around the world. In this joint podcast from fDi Intelligence and the Banker, co-hosts Alex Irwin-Hunt and Burhan Khadbai discuss what is concerning policymakers, bankers and investo ..read more

Famous for The Beatles, football and its waterfront, Liverpool is also a notable case study in cultural urban regeneration. It won its bid to become European Capital of Culture in 2008 and has since become a popular city break destination, attracting over 50m tourists a year pre-pandemic. Claire McColgan, director of Culture Liverpool, talks to fDi about the impact of the award on the city, how it grew in confidence and the experience of Liverpool losing its Unesco World Heritage Status last year as a result of developments on the docks. Now, weakened by the pandemic due to its exposure to th ..read more

The Tate Modern needs little introduction. As one of the most recognisable museums in the world, it has helped put London on the map as an international art and cultural centre. But perhaps less often discussed is its contribution towards the transformation of London’s waterfront in what could be described as a “Tate Modern effect”.  In conversation with Seth O’Farrell, Frances Morris stresses that throughout the museum’s history, it has engaged the local community so as not to “parachute” into an area it had little to do with. But challenges have emerged with the encroachment of privati ..read more