September 2009
Welcome to the latest update from Invest in America, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s program to promote foreign direct investment to the United States This monthly update is meant to provide a few quick points highlighting some activities of Invest in America.
Outreach
Invest in America will participate in:
- 2009 IEDC Annual Conference in Reno, Nevada on October 5, 2009
- WAIPA World Investment Conference in Milan, Italy, October 12-14, 2009
- VentureLab Investment Forum in Oslo, Norway, October 13, 2009
- AILA EB-5 Investors Conference in San Francisco, California on October 19, 2009
Reports of Note
“Access America” is a new online Chinese-language directory of U.S. firms that provide customized services to Chinese companies that want to conduct business in the U.S., including finding partners and setting up offices. The Access America Service Provider directory gives U.S. companies and economic development agencies access and exposure to Chinese clients who seek U.S. expertise in global logistics, trade finance, HR, site selection, tax, insurance, legal and regulatory issues, marketing, and other support related to investing in the U.S. Through the U.S. Commercial Service offices in China and our U.S. and Chinese partners, the directory will be seen by thousands of prospective customers and investors.
The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) has published “The Role of Economic Developers in Cross-Border Mergers & Acquisitions.” This paper describes the market for foreign M&A into the U.S., listing the range of impacts communities can anticipate depending on their size, location, and industrial composition. M&A deals account for approximately 93% of FDI entering the U.S. in a given year. Case studies provided in this paper illustrate the range of international M&A deals that are completed in the U.S.
The Vale Columbia Center on Sustainable International Investment article by Luis Afonso Lima and Octavio de Barros analyzing Brazil’s increasing outward foreign direct investment (OFDI). The report, entitled “The Growth of Brazil’s Direct Investment Abroad and the Challenges It Faces” notes that Brazil needs public policies that remove obstacles for Brazilian OFDI.
Data
- Inquiries to date in 2009: 200
- Ombudsman cases in 2009: 13
Invest in America’s ombudsman program has achieved a number of successes in working across the federal government to address investor concerns and issues involving federal agencies. If a foreign investor has a federal-level issue that is jeopardizing an investment in the United States, please contact Invest in America at 202-482-5199 or email Invest in America at info@investamerica.gov.
We invite you to connect with us through the “Invest in America” group on Linkedin.com.
Please address all comments and suggestions to info@investamerica.gov. For more information about Invest in America, please visit our website at www.investamerica.gov.
