The Barcelona City Council has attracted and supported investments in the city worth more than 395 million euros during 2022. These are business initiatives that have led to the creation of 487 jobs, according to the balance carried out by the council of the work carried out by the International Economic Promotion area and the City Promotion Directorate, in addition to the Business Landing Service of the Barcelona Activa Business Support Office.
In the last twelve months, the municipal teams have managed 116 projects, of which 28 investments have materialized, which represents an implementation ratio of more than 24% of the managed projects. Work is already underway on a new portfolio of another 48 projects, of which six are already in the landing process and the rest could be finalized throughout 2023. Among the companies and entities that the city council has facilitated their arrival in the city or the decision to increase their investments are Toulouse Business School, the World Ocean Council, the fintech Edebex and the Swedish technology firm Centiro.
Of the 28 projects that have been successfully landed and are new implementations in the city, almost 60% come from outside the European Union. Investments from the United Kingdom stand out (18% of the total), followed by those from the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium. Outside the European Union, investments have been received from Argentina and Singapore, each accounting for 7% of the total investment attracted.
"After a year of economic recovery in 2021, Barcelona throughout 2022 has been a driving force for attracting foreign companies that have trusted the city for their investments and have chosen Barcelona as one of their European headquarters. This is a sample of Barcelona's strength and economic momentum that attracts investment and generates quality jobs," considers the first deputy mayor, Jaume Collboni.
36% of the companies attracted belong to the technological sector, followed by business services firms (17%), the transport and logistics sector (14%) and hospitality, tourism and leisure (11%). Of the new projects in the pipeline, ICT companies also predominate (42% of the total), along with creative and cultural production activities (13% of the total). By origin of investment, the main countries in the portfolio of projects under management are the United States, China and the United Kingdom, with more than 35% of the total.
The commitment of the business school Toulouse Business School (TBS) has materialized in a new training center in the 22@ Nord district that can concentrate activity for more than 1,000 students. It involved an approximate investment of 38 million euros and will guarantee the employment of nearly 50 people. In parallel, the international foundation World Ocean Council agreed in 2022 to establish its headquarters in the Catalan capital. It is a non-profit entity for the promotion of the blue economy whose objective is to make economic activity related to the sea more sustainable. The New Barcelona Post published an interview with its president, Paul Holthus, in which he advanced the objectives and main lines of work of the foundation.
The fintech Edebex, which operates in the digital factoring sector, has landed in Barcelona with the intention of supporting the French market and addressing the Italian and Spanish markets. Its initial forecast is to hire 75 qualified workers between 2022 and 2023. Finally, Centiro is a Swedish technology company in the logistics sector that has opened a new development center in Barcelona, with the initial creation of 20 jobs and an approximate investment of more than one million euros.