FDi Intelligence

What FDi Intelligence does

FDi Intelligence is a specialist B2B foreign direct investment intelligence service and publication operating under The Financial Times Limited, headquartered in London and founded in 2001. Its core function is to provide data, analysis, and rankings on global cross-border corporate investment flows, serving investment promotion agencies, multinational corporations, governments, and economic development consultancies.

The product portfolio combines proprietary data tools (fDi Markets greenfield project tracker, fDi Benchmark, InvestmentMap, InvestmentFlow, IncentivesFlow, Knowledge Hub, fDi Influencers, fDi Strategies), annual rankings and awards (European Cities and Regions of the Future, Global Free Zones of the Year, Greenfield FDI Performance Index), editorial content series (Economic Security Watch podcast, The CEO Series video, fDi Unscripted, Graph Time newsletters, magazine), and professional services (fDi Institute training, Amplify advertising, events and roundtables). The platform is built on a digital publishing architecture with specialized FDI data analytics, supported by an Editorial Advisory Board drawn from OECD, UNCTAD, World Bank, and LSE, and operates with a lean core editorial team of three.

Revenue is generated through a mix of subscription-based access to data products and reports, sponsored content and advertising, paid events and roundtables, training workshops, and ranking/award sponsorships, with pricing not publicly disclosed. Distribution leverages the Financial Times platform (FT.com), the fdiintelligence.com website, newsletters, social channels, and co-distribution with FT Locations and GIS Planning's ZoomProspector/ZoomTour. The business is organized as a private subsidiary of the Financial Times group, with no public revenue, funding, or headcount disclosures.

Name

FDi Intelligence

Legal name

The Financial Times Limited

Website

https://fdiintelligence.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

FDi Intelligence is a Financial Times subsidiary providing foreign direct investment data, analysis, rankings, and events to investment promotion agencies, multinational corporations, governments, and economic development consultants globally from its London base.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Intelligence and FDI Research

NAICS

Publishing Industries (513), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (519)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Investment Promotion & FDI Facilitation (BPADAMAD)

Keywords

• FDI intelligence services
• Investment promotion research
• Greenfield investment data
• Cross-border investment analytics
• FDI benchmarking tools

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Subscription Intelligence Services: B2B subscription-based access to FDI data, analysis, reports, and proprietary tools like fDi Markets and fDi Benchmark
2. Events and Roundtables: Revenue from hosting events, conferences, and roundtable discussions on FDI topics
3. Advertising and Sponsorship: Sponsored content, partner content, and advertising opportunities for products and services
4. Training and Workshops: fDi Institute provides training workshops on FDI topics

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

FDi Intelligence is a specialist Financial Times publication providing foreign direct investment (FDI) intelligence through proprietary data tools (fDi Markets, fDi Benchmark, InvestmentFlow, IncentivesFlow, InvestmentMap, fDi Influencers, Knowledge Hub, fDi Strategies), annual rankings and reports (Greenfield FDI Performance Index, European Cities and Regions of the Future, Global Free Zones of the Year), editorial content, professional training via fDi Institute, and industry events. The platform serves investment promotion agencies, multinational corporations, and government policymakers globally with subscription-based access to FDI data, analysis, and benchmarking tools.

Product overview

FDi Intelligence is a specialist publication from the Financial Times providing comprehensive coverage of foreign direct investment (FDI) through multiple channels. The portfolio consists of data products (fDi Markets, fDi Benchmark, fDi Strategies, InvestmentMap, InvestmentFlow, IncentivesFlow, Knowledge Hub, ZoomProspector, ZoomTour, fDi Influencers), annual rankings and awards (European Cities and Regions of the Future, Global Free Zones of the Year, Greenfield FDI Performance Index), content series (Economic Security Watch, The CEO Series, fDi Unscripted, Graph Time), and professional services (fDi Institute training, Amplify advertising, Events and Roundtables). The platform operates across digital media including newsletters, videos, podcasts, magazine, and special reports to serve the global FDI community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• fDi Markets: Greenfield project announcement tracker for FDI data.
• fDi Benchmark
• Knowledge Hub
• InvestmentFlow
• IncentivesFlow
• InvestmentMap
• fDi Influencers
• ZoomProspector
• ZoomTour
• fDi Strategies
• fDi Institute
• Economic Security Watch
• The CEO Series
• Graph Time
• fDi Unscripted

Products and services

• fDi Markets Greenfield project announcement tracker providing data on foreign direct investment projects globally, used by IPAs and multinationals to monitor cross-border investment activity.
• fDi Benchmark Benchmarking tool for comparing investment locations, strategies, and FDI performance metrics across jurisdictions and sectors.
• fDi Strategies Strategic planning resource for FDI investment attraction strategy and policy development aimed at economic development organizations.
• InvestmentFlow Tool tracking investment flows across regions and sectors, providing analytics on FDI movement patterns.
• IncentivesFlow Database of investment incentives available across different jurisdictions, used by site selection teams and IPAs.
• InvestmentMap Interactive mapping tool showing global investment flows and location data for visual FDI analysis.
• Knowledge Hub Research and knowledge repository on FDI topics and locations, operated in conjunction with FTLocations.com.
• fDi Influencers Database identifying key decision-makers and influencers in global investment for outreach and networking.
• European Cities and Regions of the Future Annual ranking evaluating European cities and regions on FDI attractiveness, business environment, and economic potential.
• Global Free Zones of the Year Annual awards recognizing excellence in free trade zones and special economic zones worldwide.
• Greenfield FDI Performance Index Annual index ranking countries by FDI attraction performance relative to economic size (GDP), identifying overperformers globally and by region.
• fDi Institute Training workshops and professional development programs for FDI practitioners and investment promotion professionals.
• Events and Roundtables Conferences, seminars, and networking events for the FDI professional community, including roundtables on cross-border investment topics.
• Amplify Content amplification and promotional services enabling partners to reach the fDi Intelligence audience through sponsored content and branded placements.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• FT LocationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociated service from Financial Times focused on helping businesses make location decisions and attract investment. fDi Intelligence and FT Locations operate under the same Financial Times group with shared branding and cross-promotion.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Deloitte FDI and Location Strategy: Deloitte's foreign direct investment and site selection advisory practices serve the same investment promotion agency and multinational corporate buyer set, often purchasing intelligence inputs that fDi also sells.
• UNCTAD (World Investment Report): UN agency publishing authoritative global FDI data, trends, and policy analysis; not a commercial competitor but the primary free public benchmark that fDi's paid offerings must differentiate against.
• KPMG FDI Advisory: Big Four firm with dedicated FDI and investment location advisory practices serving investment promotion agencies and corporates — adjacent service provider that competes for similar consulting and advisory budgets.

Direct peers

• Investment Monitor: Specialist FDI and cross-border investment intelligence publication covering site selection, FDI trends, and corporate expansion — a directly overlapping editorial and data product offering to investment promotion agencies and multinationals.
• Oxford Business Group: Produces intelligence and reports on emerging markets, with strong overlap in foreign investment, economic development, and country-level investor guides serving corporates and government agencies.
• Site Selection Magazine: Long-running B2B publication and data service focused on corporate facility investment and site selection for economic development organizations, directly comparable to fDi's FDI and investment promotion coverage.

Broad incumbents

• The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU): Major business intelligence and forecasting provider serving corporates and governments with country-level research and FDI-relevant analysis — a broader incumbent with overlapping buyer segments but wider portfolio scope.
• The Banker: Financial Times-owned publication covering international banking and finance; Danielle Myles previously worked here, and its global banking audience overlaps with fDi's investment promotion and corporate finance readership.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fdiintelligence
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCT-stnCXpiSKN7amJkaJm1g
• Facebookfacebook.com/fDiIntelligenceFT
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/showcase/fdi-intelligence

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FDi Intelligence