Antwerp’s investment strategy bears fruit: foreign investments surge by 59% and the city achieves second place in the esteemed fDi ranking

Antwerp is emerging as a magnet for foreign investments, with recent achievements underscoring its growing allure to global investors. The city clinched the runner-up position in the ‘strategy’ category in the ‘European Cities and Regions of the Future 2024/25’ rankings by fDi Intelligence. Moreover, Antwerp witnessed a remarkable 59% surge in foreign investments in 2023.

Every year, anticipation brews in the business community as fDi Intelligence unveils its latest rankings, benchmarking European cities and regions based on their appeal and prospects for international entrepreneurship. After securing fourth place in 2023, Antwerp rose two spots in the ‘strategy’ category, a testament to its commitment to nurturing economic growth and strategic development. In addition to this score, Antwerp secures three other top-10 positions in the rankings, namely in the ‘overall’, ‘economic potential’ and ‘connectivity’ categories.
 

Antwerp positions itself as a world port city with a unique chemical cluster and as an innovation powerhouse. During the last ten years, significant investments have been made in the development of ecosystems and innovation hubs where startups, scale-ups, and established companies collaborate on groundbreaking solutions. The city focuses on four domains:

• Sustainable chemistry
• Energy transition and hydrogen
• Technological innovation for port, industry, and mobility
• Innovation in health

Noteworthy examples include the establishment of Fairbrics, a French company revolutionising the chemical industry, Aquature from the UK, and PureCycle Technologies from the United States, investing in a polypropylene recycling plant in the NextGen District.

Read more about Fairbrics and its revolutionary solution.

The tangible results of Antwerp’s strategy are underscored by concrete figures. In 2023 alone, the city attracted 50 new investment projects, totalling a staggering €1.93 billion - an impressive 59% increase compared to the previous year. Furthermore, these investments translated into the creation of 629 new jobs, a significant 19% increase.