The value of foreign investments captured by the City Council grows in 2021

The Barcelona City Council attracted a total of 13 investments in the city last year worth more than 100 million euros, a figure five times higher than that obtained in 2020. The projects that have landed in the Catalan capital have allowed the creation of 885 jobs, more than double the previous year.

In total, municipal teams managed 130 projects, of which 13 investments materialized: eleven new ones and two reinvestments in projects already underway in the city. Of the 13 projects, those from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Italy stand out, with two projects each. The rest originated in Argentina, Belgium, Estonia, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and China.

The new Pepsico technological hub is one of them, an investment that will create 400 jobs in the next two years, recruitments that have already begun. The also new hub of Costa Cruises in Torre Mapfre and the development center of the Estonian startup Veriff are other examples of the new investments that were attracted to the city in 2021.

For the first deputy mayor for Economy, Jaume Collboni, it is a very good sign that in a pandemic year, the interest of foreign investment in Barcelona has increased. "We are in the midst of a recovery process and the main indicators of the city's economy are only improving. This is perceived by foreign companies that trust the city and commit to it by locating increasingly high value-added activities," he defends.

Looking ahead to this year, municipal teams are working with a portfolio of 62 projects. Of these, 65% come from outside the European Union, with Argentina and the United Kingdom as the main source markets. Information and communication technologies predominate in almost 30% of the initiatives, followed by business services (16%) and various sectors, such as manufacturing and logistics.

The City Promotion Directorate is responsible for attracting new initiatives to Barcelona, through International Economic Promotion, together with the Business Landing service of the Business Support Office of Barcelona Activa.