Turkey ascends as global overseas investor: UN

GENEVA - Hürriyet Daily News

Turkey’s Anadolu Efes’ acquisition of the Russian and Ukrainian beer businesses of SABMiller for $2 billion accounts for most of Turkey’s FDI boost. Company photo

Turkey has emerged as a significant investor, with its outward investment growing by 73 percent in 2012 to a record $4 billion, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) annual investment survey revealed on June 26. This surge was mainly due to the $2 billion acquisition by Turkish Anadolu Efes of the Russian and Ukrainian beer businesses of SABMiller.

Turkey has also been ranked in the top prospective investors of the world for the first time between 2013 and 2015 by global investment promotion agencies in the report. The United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan and France ranked as the most promising developed-economy investors, underscoring their continuing role in global FDI flows. India, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey (for the first time) are also seen as major developing country sources in the mentioned period.

Developing world surge

Turkey was also ranked 24th in the list of countries that attracted the most FDI in 2012 with $12.4 billion inflow. Turkey is expected to move up in the list in the medium term, according to the report.

Global foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows fell by 18 per cent to $1.35 trillion in 2012 while FDI flows to developing economies proved to be much more resilient than flows to developed countries, recording their second highest level – even though they declined slightly (by 4 percent) to $703 billion in 2012.

They accounted for a record 52 percent of global FDI inflows, exceeding flows to developed economies for the first time ever, by $142 billion. The global rankings of the largest recipients of FDI also reflect changing patterns of investment flows: Nine of the 20 largest recipients were developing countries.

The United States has still been the most attractive country for FDI. More than 168 billion FDI flowed in the country in 2012. The U.S. was followed by four developing economies in the list; China with $121 billion.