Global foreign direct investment (FDI) rose 14% in 2025 to $1.6-trillion, rebounding after two weak years, although most of the increase came from financial flows through global hubs and not new productive investment, says international trade organisation UN Trade and Development (Unctad). More than $140-billion of the increase came from higher flows through global financial centres. Excluding these conduit flows, global FDI rose by about 5%, thereby highlighting how limited the recovery remains in underlying investment.
