Reactions from the leaders of Asia’s most promising locations for future investment on what the recognition means for them and what makes their cities special.

The opening of Marlborough College Malaysia in 2012 is set to help the region’s development as a knowledge-based economy.

Strategic location and long-term planning are key to the success of Iskandar Malaysia.

Iskandar Malaysia enables Malaysia and Singapore to leverage each others’ strengths.

Business is booming at Malaysia’s Port of Tanjung Pelepas, recognised globally for its cost effectiveness.

Conservative MP announces party’s plans to restructure or disband England’s regional inward investment agencies.

We are at a point where the burgeoning European ‘cleantech’ industry is starting to meet harsh reality. An unpleasant mix of greedy bankers, conniving politicians, monopolistic power companies and painfully protracted planning permissions are all obstructing the progress of green business.

As fDi Magazine reported in its October/November issue, there have been several key investments in Romania’s manufacturing sector this year, but a lack of road infrastructure and industrial parks has meant many other possible investors have stayed away from the eastern European nation.

McDonald’s announced in October it would be closing down its three restaurants in Iceland, a country hard hit by the economic crisis.

Kyprianou moves into Cyprus
Michael Kyprianou & Co, a Cyprus-based law firm, has opened its first overseas office in Athens, Greece. The office is located in the city centre and will handle the representation of local clients who need advice regarding Cypriot law as well as clients seeking advice regarding Greek law. The company already has four offices in Cyprus.

Vodafone venture in Milan
Vodafone, a provider of mobile communication services, will invest €300m in the development of a new sustainable headquarters in Milan, Italy.

Mikro Kapital enters Belarus
Luxembourg-based Mikro Kapital, an asset management company, has established an office in Gomel, Belarus.

Warsaw Equator project
Karimpol Group, a real estate developer in central and eastern Europe, is set to start construction on the second phase of its Equator office project in Warsaw, Poland.

Billabong in Banbury
Billabong International, the Australian retailer of surf, skate and snow apparel and accessories, has opened a store in Banbury, UK. The store is located in the Castle Quay shopping centre and it will offer a range of sports and leisure items.

Poland’s former minister of economy has seen the plans he instigated in 1989 to move the country from a communist to a capitalist economy bear fruit during the recent global recession. He talks to Ginanne Brownell.

Poland is the only country in Europe likely to register economic growth this year. It is now hoping to follow in the footsteps of the EU’s previous star pupil, Ireland, writes Ginanne Brownell.

Cyprus has always played a major role as a trading and business centre due to its strategic location at the crossroads of three continents. The implementation of wide-ranging structural reforms has led to the creation of new business opportunities for dynamic investors.

China to get preferential treatment for mining projects in Guinea in exchange for $7bn-worth of infrastructure.

The Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) has partnered with Switzerland’s Investment Promotion in Sub-Saharan Africa (IPSSA) initiative to try to drive more foreign investment to the west African nation.

International Investment Group (IIG), a US-based company, has announced plans for a series of industrial projects worth $35m in eastern Syria.

Nokia in Nairobi
Nokia has launched a care centre in Nairobi, located in the Hilton Hotel in the city’s central business district. This is the seventh such facility in Kenya and will provide quality after-sales service to its customers, giving them access to maintenance services, software upgrades and technical support.

Joint venture in Bahrain
Occidental Petroleum Corporation and the National Oil and Gas Authority of Bahrain have formed a new joint-operating company, the Tatweer Petroleum-Bahrain Field Development Company, which will serve as the operator for oil production from the Bahrain field.

NMB Bank opens in Tanzania
Zimbabwe-based NMB Bank has opened its first branch in Zanzibar, Tanzania. The new operation is located in the Darajani area of Unguja Island, one of the two major islands of Zanzibar. NMB Bank entered the country in 1997, with its first office in Pemba and now operates a total of 133 branches across Tanzania.

Internet upgrade for Zambia
German communication systems company Fraunhofer Fokus has set up an internet communication network in a remote village in Zambia. In underdeveloped countries such as Zambia there is little or no access to the internet, but the company aims to show how people living in poorer regions can get connected up as well.

Damco office for Maputo
Damco, a provider of freight forwarding and supply chain management services, is opening an office in Maputo, Mozambique, in December 2009 to improve presence and service levels in south-east Africa.

The mining industry in the Middle East and north Africa region is transforming itself to be more appealing to investors. Companies from the world’s leading mining countries – Australia, Canada and South Africa – are taking the region more seriously and are looking at the best opportunities for investing there.

For Qatar to compete with London and New York as a financial centre, it needs to be supported by a local talent pool. Qatar Financial Centre chief executive Stuart Pearce tells Brian Caplen of two initiatives that will help the country with this.

Saudi Arabia may be cash-rich, but access difficulties often mean this wealth remains out of reach for non-Arabs. Spencer Anderson looks at the reforms which could make the country an investment oasis.

Renewable energy, like most other sectors, has taken a beating during the recession. Ginanne Brownell takes stock of the market’s investment prospects.

Environment-related tax incentives are becoming more and more common around the world. Anuschka Bakker of the IBFD examines their impact.

Dennis Yablonsky, CEO of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, explains how Pittsburgh successfully reinvented itself after economic upheaval.

India could take a leaf from China’s book in terms of attracting FDI inflows by making structural changes to its economic set-up and developing special economic zones, writes Dr Swapna Sinha.

Investment in the automotive sector was only slightly down in the first nine months of 2009, a boost for an industry hit by a relentless stream of damaging headlines.

Courtney Fingar offers a guide for exploring a fascinating and fast-evolving investment destination.

Iraq has come a long way fast in the past few years. Violence and instability – for so long synonymous with the country – are making way for optimism and prosperity, a fact not lost on opportunity-hungry foreign investors. Courtney Fingar reports.

The drive to attract investors to Iraq can be seen at all levels of government and business in the country. With various sectors crying out for foreign money or expertise, getting in early will reap dividends, writes Courtney Fingar.

The chairman of Iraq’s National Investment Commission explains how property law reform is allowing foreign investors to get a foothold in the country. He speaks to Courtney Fingar.

A muscular banking sector will make or break whether Iraq is to rebuild and prosper. And while there are increasing levels of capital inflow into the region, local banking infrastructure remains limited, leaving the sector wide open for foreign investment. Courtney Fingar reports.

Iraq’s FDI market is stirring and the risk premiums are coming down. But, says Courtney Fingar, the onus is now on insurance companies to keep pace.

As the withdrawal of Western troops from Iraq gets under way, security operations are changing tack. Courtney Fingar reports on the implications for foreign investors in the region.

Data from fDi Markets provides a clear picture of investment trends in Iraq since the pivotal year of 2003.

As the flow of international business visitors into Iraq increases, the case for developing world-class hospitality facilities is becoming ever stronger, reports Courtney Fingar.

Iraq is open for business and already has a number of investors singing its praises. However, those considering setting up in the country would be well advised to ditch Western conventions and embrace the Iraqi way of doing things. Courtney Fingar reports.

A good grounding of the legal requirements and potential risks attached to establishing a business in Iraq can have a huge impact on a company’s survival there, writes Ginanne Brownell.

Reform measures make Mauritius an open and transparent market for investment.

There is more to Mauritius than beaches. The island is fast becoming a hub for various business sectors. Ginanne Brownell reports.

Mauritius’ deputy prime minister and Finance minister tells Ginanne Brownell how the nation’s economic reforms in 2005 have already created opportunities in a variety of sectors.

While reinventing its traditional core industries of textile and sure cane production, Mauritius is positioning itself as a hub for the lucrative medical tourism market. Ginanne Brownell reports.

The world may not have ended in 2009, but within some FDI sectors it must have felt that way. However, the effects of the downturn were not as unpredictable as some would make out, and, according to Courtney Fingar, countries that suffered should blame bad planning, not bad luck.

FDI trends show a likely contraction of greenfield FDI market and drop in job creation and capex numbers.

Quality of transport infrastructure and the ability to deliver integrated transport systems which will distinguish the regional economic successes of the future is a primary issue for four out of five business location decision-makers, according to a report by the UK’s Invest Thames Gateway, an inward investment agency.

The creative industries sector, which saw the number of crossborder greenfield investment projects increase by half last year, looks to continue as a steady project generator with only a slight slowing down during a difficult year economically.

The first bilateral investment treaty (BIT) turned 50 recently. You’re forgiven if you forgot to send a birthday card. The truth is that foreign investors tend not to pay much heed to BITs – at least

not when the sun is shining.

Investment in emerging market infrastructure projects is on the way to recovery.

At the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies conference in Milan in mid-October, speakers including economists and politicians suggested that non-traditional mechanisms of finance and new financial avenues have the potential to provide much-needed liquidity to financial systems, but disagreed over whether the global economy is in recovery.

fDi magazine’s awards recognising standout regions for investment identified Anbar in Iraq as the world leader this year.

Barcelona-based fashion retailer Mango has not let the global recession thwart its international expansion plans, and is being rewarded with bumper profits. Ginanne Brownell reports.

When German solar module maker Solon decided to expand beyond its European stronghold, Arizona’s abundance of sunshine, and the potential for growth in the sector in the US, made the location decision an easy one. Karen E Thuermer reports.

China’s thriving manufacturing sector is a draw for foreign investors. However, choosing a location can be fraught with pitfalls without some guidance, writes Klaus Koehler.

Massachusetts and California experience reduction in R&D projects but Texas and Florida show impressive growth.

BNP Paribas joined the ranks of other major global banks when it announced in September that it would be closing down operations in Panama.

If the Barack Obama administration’s planned healthcare reforms go ahead and the ban on selling insurance policies across state lines is lifted, Alabama – which has the lowest insurance regulatory costs in the US – could become a hub for health insurance providers.

Inbicon biomass refinery
Danish company Inbicon has pursued the licensing, development, and construction of a biomass refinery in North Dakota.

Cooper Gay opens in Atlanta
Cooper Gay, the UK-based insurance and reinsurance broking group, has opened a new office of Cooper Gay Risk Services in Atlanta, Georgia. This is the US subsidiary’s eighth branch.

Bayer grows in Colombia
Bayer Healthcare, a subsidiary of German-based Bayer, is to invest $16.3m to increase production capacity at its aspirin manufacturing plant in Cali, Colombia.

In the early 1990s, a senior tobacco company executive shared this observation with me on the increasingly negative attitudes about smoking: His fourth-grade daughter asked him not to name the company he worked for at a parents’ back-to-school night.The growth of the cultural stigma against smoking is an interesting parallel to the anti-carbon fuel movement of today.

The US government’s stimulus package is benefiting research centres such as Argonne, Illinois, where the flow of funds is giving the centre’s renewable energy focus a huge boost. By Karen E Thuermer.

The past three years have seen strong growth in the Mexican aeronautics sector, with Chihuahua emerging as a key centre for production, finds fDi Markets research.

Trinidad & Tobago is leveraging its experience in energy technology at Tamana InTech Park to help tackle climate change.

A history of civil war and the global downturn have hindered central American FDI, but as its governments adopt a pro-investment approach and world economies recover, prospects look brighter, writes Adam Coulter.

Chile’s efforts to become a global services cluster have centred around five key industries. Results have been encouraging, and the council representing these industries expects their collective value to soon rival that of the country’s wine exports.

Western companies are flocking to Chile to set up their global services shops – taking advantage of its economic stability, modern telecoms and labour pool.

Investors are quitting manufacturing projects in Asia as outsourcing to other regions begins to offer better value .

Singapore has been attracting a rush of Russian investments as wealthy business people seek both exposure to fast-recovering Asian markets and a place with political stability for their personal wealth.

Taiwan-based Formosa Heavy Industries Group has received principal approval from the Vietnamese government to build a $12bn oil refinery in the Vung Ang economic zone.

Arkadin opens in South Korea
Arkadin, a global provider of audio and web conferencing services specialising in remote collaboration services, has opened an office in Seoul, South Korea.

Rohto breaks into Indonesia
Rohto Pharmaceutical has constructed a plant for shampoo, lip cream and other skin-care products in Indonesia to meet growing local demand. The plant is located outside the West Java capital of Bandung.

OSK Indochina in Cambodia
OSK Indochina Bank, a subsidiary of OSK Holdings, has opened a branch in Pet Lok Song, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

OEM Suzuki pairs with Grand River
Suzuki Motor is starting construction on a plant in China’s Jiangsu Province to produce environmentally friendly motorbikes with 125-cc engines in a joint venture with Grand River Group.

Advent expands into Beijing
Advent Software, a leading provider of software and services, has opened an office in Beijing, China.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Summit in Singapore ended this week with an agreement on ‘a new growth paradigm’ which included a rejection of ‘all forms of protectionism’ and a commitment to reduce the cost of doing business in the region by 25% by 2015.