Located on the Germany-Poland border, Frankfurt (Oder) stands within close proximity to Berlin and offers excellent connections to much of Europe. However, it is its innovative thinking – coming from its tech-savvy workforce or, on a grander scale, through its 'twin city' arrangement with nearby Słubice – that is attracting the interest of investors. 

Vladivostok in the Russian Far East lies more than eight hours away from Moscow by plane. However, it does sit within close proximity to key global economies such as China, Japan and South Korea, which is behind Vladimir Putin's drive to make the resource-rich region a centre of Russian social and economic development. Courtney Fingar reports.

The US once more has the most valuable country brand while Singapore's is the strongest, according to Brand Finance’s annual National Brands report, with a strong correlation continuing to exist between a strong nation brand and investment attractiveness.

Artur Mas was president of Catalonia from 2010 until early 2016. On a visit to London he spoke to fDi about the region’s continued push for independence from Spain and what parallels could be drawn with Brexit and Scotland’s status within the UK.

As a Crown Dependency, Jersey is neither part of the UK or the EU. Amy Bryant, chief operating officer at investment promotion agency Jersey Finance, tells fDi how this special status leaves it unaffected by the Brexit uncertainties swirling nearby. 

Axelle Lemaire, the French minister of state for the digital sector and innovation, tells Sebastian Shehadi why France is emulating the US to think globally in its bid to boost its fintech sector at home and abroad.