CITY’S ROLE IN FOREIGN INVESTMENT ATTRACTION
How do investors view Barcelona real estate market? What are the main reasons to invest in the region?
To debate this topic, Iberian Property hosted an Editorial Breakfast, with the support of Cushman & Wakefield, Barcelona Investment Office and Barcelona City Council, which took place on the 1st of October at the new C&W headquarters on Avenida Diagonal.
Under the theme “City’s role in foreign investment attraction,” investors shared their thoughts on how Barcelona’s unique characteristics shape investment strategies and market dynamics. The conversation delved into the weight of city branding, the impact of municipal regulation, and the broader perception of Barcelona’s competitiveness on the global stage.
When Miquel Rodríguez Planas, Director of Economic Development at Barcelona City Council, speaks about the city’s future, he does so with a quiet conviction that feels both pragmatic and visionary. “We’re aware of the complexity of the global context,” he acknowledges, “but Barcelona has found strength in stability. Investors today seek certainty — and this is what we’re working to deliver.”
That sense of regained confidence was palpable throughout the breakfast discussion. Participants broadly agreed that the so-called “political risk premium” once associated with Barcelona has faded. “That episode is behind us,” said Oriol Barrachina, CEO of Cushman & Wakefield Spain, pointing instead to challenges of flexibility and speed in urban transformation. “If we can accelerate decision-making and make planning more adaptable, Barcelona will compete on equal footing with Europe’s top cities.”
Pere Viñolas, CEO of Colonial, also echoed the same optimism: “The perception of Barcelona is improving, and the city has regained credibility among international investors. What remains is to strengthen its narrative and consistency — it takes longer to rebuild perception than to recover facts.”
It is precisely this narrative that Rodríguez Planas is now rewriting. Under his leadership, the Barcelona Investment Office has emerged as a one-stop platform to promote and support foreign investment — a bridge between international capital and local opportunity. In 2024 alone, the Office helped facilitate projects worth more than €649 million and over 1,200 new jobs, across technology, life sciences, and advanced services. “Our mission,” Miquel explains, “is to make sure that every innovative company with global ambitions sees Barcelona not only as an option, but as a natural choice.”
This strategy focuses on four decision points in the investor journey — site selection, set-up, expansion and loyalty — ensuring continuity between attraction and long-term establishment. The emphasis is on anchoring transformative investment in sectors that drive productivity and innovation: supercomputing, AI, health, biotech, and digital industries. “Barcelona’s competitiveness,” Miquel notes, “is built on talent, connectivity, and an ecosystem where public and private players work together to turn ideas into impact.”
That ecosystem is already visible in districts such as 22@, now a benchmark for urban innovation. With over 1,500 companies in the life sciences cluster alone, the BioRegion of Catalonia accounts for 7.6% of regional GDP. “Our value proposition is unbeatable,” says Rodríguez Planas. “We offer an optimal combination of ecosystem quality, talent, and cost efficiency — with a density of universities, hospitals, and research centres few cities can match.”
This combination of depth and affordability positions Barcelona at a unique crossroads: a city that feels global, but remains accessible and human in scale. Participants like Ignacio Sagües of Starwood Capital agreed that Barcelona’s fundamentals are solid and long-term prospects compelling. The key, he argued, lies in maintaining regulatory clarity and amplifying the city’s international narrative — “We must be prescribers of Barcelona, not just residents or investors.”
Miquel shares this proactive mindset. “We can’t wait for investors to come — we must go out and find them,” he insists. “Our objective is to be present in the right conversations, to identify companies in strategic sectors, and to offer them certainty and partnership.”
That partnership extends to major urban transformations like La Sagrera and the new Camp Nou — both conceived as catalysts for long-term economic and social value. La Sagrera will become a new intermodal hub surrounded by a four-kilometre linear park, creating up to 30,000 jobs and a new mixed-use district linking strategic industrial and residential areas. Camp Nou’s redevelopment, meanwhile, is set to anchor Barcelona’s global positioning in sports, culture and tourism. “These are city-making projects,” says Miquel. “They go beyond infrastructure — they redefine how Barcelona connects to the world.”
The city’s new economic narrative is therefore less about recovery and more about repositioning. From the quantum and AI factory initiative to Tech Barcelona’s Pier network and the Barcelona Health Hub, the ambition is clear: to attract capital that builds ecosystems, not just assets. “Barcelona’s openness to international investment is total,” Miquel emphasises. “What we want is alignment — investors who share our values of sustainability, inclusion, and long-term urban quality.”
The consensus among participants was that Barcelona has re-emerged as one of Europe’s most compelling urban markets. Its combination of transparency, lifestyle, and entrepreneurial energy gives it a distinctive edge — a “neutral ground” for innovation and capital, as Miquel described it.
If the past few years were about stabilising perception, the next ones are about leading transformation. “Barcelona has always been a city of reinvention,” Rodríguez Planas reflects. “Now, we’re writing the next chapter — one where we compete not by size, but by quality, talent, and vision.”