Artificial Intelligence
Cayman Enterprise City Wins Top Free Zone in the Americas, ranked 5th Globally
The Cayman Enterprise City (CEC) special economic zones development project has been ranked 5th on fDi Intelligence’s 2020 Top 10 Global Free Zones by the Financial Times. The ranking places CEC amongst the leading free zones in the UAE, China, and the Americas, and marks a significant achievement for CEC and the Cayman Islands.
Since its inception in 2011, CEC has helped to strengthen Cayman’s economy by attracting knowledge-based industries in tech, media, marketing, biotech, maritime, and aviation to set up a physical business presence in the Cayman Islands.
fDi Intelligence’s annual awards and rankings celebrate the most promising free zones across the world. Government entities, investment promotion bodies, and free zones were invited to complete a survey detailing the attractiveness of their zone, their facilities and what kind of incentives they offer to investors. This is CEC’s third consecutive year to receive fDi Awards. For 2020, fDi Intelligence awarded CEC in two regional categories and in three bespoke categories:
- Americas Regional Winner
- Americas SME Winner
- Data Protection
- Events Organised
- Facilities Upgrades
“We are honored that CEC has been recognised as the highest-ranking free zone in the Americas and 5th globally,” said Charlie Kirkconnell, CEO at CEC. “These awards are a sign of quality and trust for foreign investors and are testament to the success of CEC as well as to the strength of the jurisdiction. CEC’s mission has always been to attract new knowledge-based industries to the Cayman Islands, to provide a world-class platform for innovative businesses to flourish, and to serve the needs of our community by helping to diversify our economy.”
The global recognition was welcomed by Minister Joseph Hew, Cayman Islands Government: “Recognition by fDi Intelligence for several Global Free Zone awards proves once again that the Cayman Islands is one of the best places in the world to invest. I extend congratulations to CEC for the achievement. This international acknowledgement reinforces the ongoing commitment by the Government to provide a well-regulated, structured and nurturing environment for global investment. The Ministry of Commerce, Planning and Infrastructure will continue to work closely with CEC to attract global leaders, entrepreneurs and business innovators to the Cayman Islands.”
Over the course of the last 9 years, CEC has established itself as a leading platform for global businesses that are focused on innovation and technology development.