The “Invest in Italy” Roadshow was held in Seoul last 18 June. The Roadshow is co-organised by the ICE Foreign Trade Agency in Seoul and the Italian Embassy in Korea with the support of the Bank of Italy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and the Ministry of Economic Development. The event was dedicated to presenting the business climate and the investment opportunities in Italy by representatives of the ICE Foreign Trade Agency, Invitalia, Borsa Italiana-London Stock Exchange Group, the Port Authorities of Messina and La Spezia-Carrara and the Italian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (AIFI).
The initiative, which was attended by numerous Korean professionals and investment trust managers, is part of the Italian promotional events aimed at attracting Korean investments that have been regularly organised since 2015 by the Italian Embassy together with the ICE Agency, the delegations of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti and the workshops of the Bank of Italy on the reform of the Italian economic system.
Special focus was placed on the opportunities offered by the ‘Elite’ platform of Borsa Italiana, whose representatives attended B2B meetings with members of the major investment trusts in Seoul.
According to the figures published by the Import-Export Bank of Korea, South Korean investments in Italy amounted to 8.85 million Euros in 2016. In only the first nine months of 2017, investments recorded a steep rise to 10.48 million euros, 9.10 million of which in the Italian manufacturing sector. At present, the South Korean companies operating in Italy are 57, with an overall annual turnover of 6.25 million euros and more than 3.000 employees (source: Reprint-Politecnico of Milan).
“Italy is an interesting market, worth your while investing in,” affirmed Ambassador della Seta at the event. He added: “The Country’s fundamentals are positive and have been growing for years. In this context, it is important to present the investment opportunities in Italy to the Korean public which is not familiar with the Italian stock market.”
