ANKARA
Turkey received an international direct investment (IDI) worth US$12.6 billion in 2013, a decrease of 4.1 percent, compared with the previous year.
According to data by Turkey´s Economy Ministry, the country has received a capital inflow worth $10.1 billion in 2013.
The ministry said the energy sector has emerged as the largest recipient of international capital with $2.55 billion.
The data shows that 2,960 foreign-funded new companies were established in 2013, down from the 3,703 companies registered in 2012. The data also indicates that 36,950 companies operate in Turkey with international capital as of December 2013.
The ministry said 21,973 of these companies operate in Turkey's largest city Istanbul.
Turkey's capital Ankara hosts 4,046 companies and the country's largest sea resort Antalya is home to 2,279 foreign companies.
The report also said that of the total number of foreign-funded companies in 2013, 5,651 were German-funded and 2,635 were financed by the UK.
Turkey´s Investment Support and Promotion Agency (ISPAT) says Turkey will continue to attract international investments in 2014, specifically in the fields of energy, banking-insurance and finance as well as the automotive industry.
Turkey has also started to focus on investors from other countries. Some measures include a revamp of the tax regime – to make it more appealing to manage investment funds from Turkey – and encouraging foreign companies to start projects in less developed areas.
Analysts say sustainable growth, economic stability, and the improvement of laws and intellectual property rights have created an optimistic outlook for Turkey.
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