The increase in flows through global financial centers boosted global Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), which increased by 14% in 2025, reaching $1.6 trillion , revealed a report by the  United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) .

“More than $140 billion came from increased flows through global financial centers. Without these channeling flows, global FDI would have increased by only about 5 percent. This highlights the limited recovery of underlying investment activity,” UNCTAD explained in its latest Global Investment Trends Monitor .

According to the report, the value of international mergers and acquisitions fell 10% last year, while project financing decreased 16% in value and 12% in number of deals, marking the fourth consecutive year of declines.

Announcements of greenfield projects (those developed entirely from scratch) fell by 16%, and although total values ​​were high, there were a small number of megaprojects.

The report highlighted that FDI flows to developed economies increased by 43% , reaching $728 billion in 2025, driven by Europe and financial centers.

“The European Union experienced a 56% increase, due to large cross-border acquisitions and a recovery in major economies such as Germany, France and Italy,” the analysis detailed.

Conversely, flows to developing economies decreased by 2%, to $877 billion last year. Low-income countries were the most affected; “three-quarters of them registered stagnant or declining flows.”

The agency noted that international infrastructure projects fell 10%, due to a decline in renewable energy, as investors reassessed revenue risks and regulatory uncertainty.

UNCTAD also pointed out that data centers attracted more than a fifth of the value of global greenfield projects in 2025 , with announced investment exceeding $270 billion, driven by artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and digital networks.

“France, the United States and the Republic of Korea topped the list of host countries, while emerging markets such as Brazil, India, Thailand and Malaysia also attracted large projects,” the report stated, noting that the value of semiconductor projects increased by 35% during the period.

Despite this scenario, the United Nations agency estimated that FDI flows could increase “modestly” in 2026 only if financing conditions continue to improve and cross-border mergers and acquisitions pick up.

“However, real investment activity is likely to remain subdued, hampered by geopolitical tensions, political uncertainty, and economic fragmentation. Without coordinated action, global investment risks becoming even more concentrated in a few regions and sectors,” he concluded.

In Mexico, although the Ministry of Economy has not yet released the 2025 FDI ​​figure, data from the agency itself indicate that in the  third quarter of 2025 (3Q25) FDI was 40,906 million dollars , a 15% increase compared to the same period in 2024.

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The Mexican Business Council for Foreign Trade, Investment and Technology (Comce) presented its vision on the economic and trade landscape that Mexico will face in 2026, a year marked by the review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) , the advance of nearshoring (relocation of production lines) and the recomposition of global value chains

During the meeting, Susana Duque, general director of Comce, highlighted that the country is closing the year with solid economic foundations that support its strategic role in global trade.

“Mexico is today the 13th largest economy in the world, the tenth largest exporter and importer, and a country where 90% of exports come from manufactured goods,” he highlighted.

That industrial strength, he said, has allowed the country to consolidate its position as the main trading partner of the United States and as a relevant destination for new investments.

Duque recalled that Mexico recently reached a record for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) , with 40.906 billion dollars (USD), a figure that reinforces global confidence in the country and stressed that in 2025 there was growing interest in productive integration, energy transition, digitalization of trade and relocation of operations, factors that will continue to shape the economic agenda for next year.

For his part, Sergio Contreras, executive president of Comce, presented the macroeconomic projections for 2026.

For next year, the agency anticipated a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 1.29% , while inflation was expected to be around 3.9%, after a decline compared to 2024.

Regarding exports, Comce estimated a close of 660 billion dollars for 2025 and a projection of 700 billion dollars for 2026, despite a global environment that could slow down.

Contreras pointed out that Mexico is maintaining a steady progress that could even raise it from the tenth to the ninth largest exporter in the world.

Contreras emphasized that the country remains the fifth largest recipient of FDI globally, according to international estimates. The United States contributes approximately 40% of these flows, followed by Spain, Japan, the Netherlands, and Canada.

By 2026, Comce projected between $40 billion and $45 billion in FDI, driven by global industrial repositioning, the relocation of companies ( nearshoring and friendshoring ), the broad Mexican manufacturing base , and the possibility of co-investments between Mexican and international firms.

The manufacturing sector accounts for 37% of recent FDI, followed by financial services, trade, transport and construction.

Contreras highlighted that Mexico’s manufacturing structure, supported by a highly skilled workforce, particularly in STEM areas (science , technology, engineering and mathematics ) , continues to be the pillar of foreign trade.

Sectors such as automotive, electrical-electronic, machinery, medical devices and digital technologies will continue to lead export flows.

Among the factors with the greatest potential for 2026, Comce identified nearshoring and international co-investment, given the reconfiguration of tariffs and global chains; the energy transition, which will attract new megaprojects; regional value chains, especially in North America; as well as diversification towards the European Union (EU), with the modernization of the EU-Mexico trade agreement.

In the automotive sector, he emphasized that 42% of the US industry depends on Mexican auto parts and manufacturing , evidence of a deep integration that will be a determining factor in the review of the USMCA.

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