For almost forty years, the support package for businesses in Ireland has stood out for several key elements. Among them, a corporate income tax rate of 12.5 percent for all companies and sectors. The IDA Agency, the Investment and Development Agency of Ireland, provides funding, grants, and logistical and legal support. On the other hand, the AIF Agency, the financial arm of the IDA, seeks, supports, and fosters joint ventures between local and foreign investors. Additionally, Ireland benefits from a highly skilled and multilingual workforce, with an Anglo-Saxon cultural affinity.
The country has been recognized for having the Cloud Computing Technology Research Center since 2012, as well as for its timezone overlap with the United States and Asia, along with its proximity to London and New York. Entities like Enterprise Ireland, the largest venture capital fund in Europe, are dedicated to actively investing in startups in collaboration with the private sector. Likewise, the Competitive Start Fund, financed by Enterprise Ireland, invests quarterly in 15 startups.
However, the Irish economy currently faces a strong slowdown, with a decline in both public and private investments. Although Foreign Direct Investment figures allegedly reach historic levels, much of this corresponds to the reinvestment of profits from foreign companies. Therefore, significant investments in acquisitions or the generation of new jobs are not being observed.
In a global framework, Ireland has established itself as a prominent cyber center in Europe, attracting major Western companies such as Intel, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. On the other hand, Brazil has experienced variations in its Foreign Direct Investment flow in recent years, far from the performance of the United States, with its own political and economic challenges.
Mexico, for its part, is facing a historic opportunity amid geopolitical and technological changes worldwide. Despite its strategic advantages and resources, the country faces challenges such as insecurity, bureaucracy, corruption, weakness of the rule of law, and deficiencies in infrastructure and human resources. To leverage its potential in the field of "nearshoring" and "cybershoring," Mexico needs to make significant adjustments in its strategy to attract investments and promote sustainable economic growth.
