fDi Magazine

1 month ago | fdiintelligence.com | Danielle Myles

Australia’s election this weekend has brought to a head security concerns over Chinese ownership of the country’s most strategic port, with both prospective new governments vowing to employ rarely-used clawback powers to return it to Australian hands. Darwin Port, which in 2015 was leased to Beijing-controlled Landbridge for 99 years for A$506m ($320m), is the latest example of national security concerns thrusting foreign direct investment (FDI) into the election spotlight.

1 month ago | fdiintelligence.com | Ben Payton

The FDI angle- The US plans to expand its icebreaker fleet to enhance Arctic presence amid competition. - The White House wants to expand the country’s naval fleet too. With domestic shipbuilding at historic lows, it will have to rely on trade and investment from allies to make it happen.

Mar 6, 2025 | fdiintelligence.com | Jacopo Dettoni

Panama has been at the eye of the storm since Donald Trump’s return to the White House. In his speech to Congress on March 4, Mr Trump reiterated that “my administration will be reclaiming the Panama Canal”, adding that “we’ve already started doing it”, in a reference to the stunning $22.8bn deal that saw BlackRock take over the two ports owned by Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison on both sides of the canal.

Mar 6, 2025 | fdiintelligence.com | Danielle Myles

The foreign direct investment (FDI) industry is taking great strides to improve gender balance, but cultural challenges and leadership gaps are holding back progress despite mounting evidence that diversity spurs commercial success. These are key messages from fDi’s survey on gender balance within the industry, which drew responses from organisations in each continent which work across areas spanning investment and export promotion, advisory, policy-making and free zones.

Mar 5, 2025 | fdiintelligence.com | Anita Hawser

A new multilateral defence bank aimed at tackling growing security threats will offer private sector lenders risk guarantees and help standardise procurement rules in Europe, which its founder describes as a “disaster”. Announced on Sunday, the new Defence, Security and Resilience Bank — the first multilateral development bank for defence, which seeks to secure £100bn in capital — aims to solve the defence financing gap in Western countries.