Nueconomy Releases Inaugural ‘2026 FDI Risks’ Report Identifying Critical Execution Threats to Greenfield Investment in the Year Ahead

Advisory firm shifts focus from macro headlines to 12 firm-level factors that will determine 2026 investment outcomes

BANGALORE/SINGAPORE – Nueconomy, an independent advisory firm specialising in corporate location strategy and investment promotion, today released “Navigating Greenfield FDI in 2026,” a forward-looking analysis of the operational risks threatening to derail announced foreign direct investment projects in the year ahead.

While macro forces like geopolitical tensions and trade fragmentation dominate 2026 forecasts, Nueconomy’s inaugural report identifies 12 micro-level execution risks that will directly determine whether announced projects become operational facilities in 2026—from expatriate visa processing delays to permitting bottlenecks and critical materials shortages.

“2026 will be a pivotal window for re-industrialisation, with governments committing hundreds of billions in subsidies,” said Nueconomy’s research team. “Yet we repeatedly see corporate boards kill projects not because of trade wars, but because of operational friction—a six-month visa delay for 15 engineers or a permitting timeline that slips from 9 to 22 months. These are the 2026 risks that will actually move the needle.”

Key 2026 Risk Projections:

• Expatriate visa processing times will extend to 4-7 months in key markets, causing quarter-long project setbacks and 20-30% cost increases
• Local sourcing mandates in joint ventures will require 40-60% local content, hiking 2026 capital expenditure 15-25% mid-build
• Permitting delays will stretch greenfield approvals 6-18 months in 2026, inflating holding costs 20-30%
• Rising electricity prices in 2026 (18% in US, 30-40% in Europe) will erode operational margins 15-25%
• Source country overconcentration will expose 2026 projects to 10-15% forex losses and funding delays

The report is structured as a practical working document for 2026 planning, sequencing risks from early-stage planning through regulatory hurdles, financial execution, and post-launch operations—mirroring the typical corporate location strategy lifecycle.

“In 2026’s fragmented investment landscape, competitive advantage will belong to locations that solve execution challenges, not just those that survive macro volatility,” the report concludes. “IPAs that master micro-level intelligence in 2026 can turn operational friction into differentiated value propositions.”

The full report draws on 2026 projections from fDi Intelligence, McKinsey Global Institute, the European Central Bank, and other leading research institutions, combined with Nueconomy’s proprietary insights from working inside corporate real estate and expansion teams globally.

About Nueconomy

Nueconomy is an independent advisory firm working at the intersection of corporate location strategy, investment promotion, and economic development. With offices in Bangalore, Mumbai, and Singapore, Nueconomy partners with multinational companies on global footprint decisions and helps investment promotion agencies design strategies that convert announcements into operating facilities. Founded in 2014, the firm’s competitive edge comes from spending most of its time inside corporate strategy teams, seeing first-hand what makes boards approve or kill greenfield projects.