There are about 4,000 Italian companies with Middle Eastern shareholders in their capital: 3,839 companies, for a total of 415 million euros in shareholdings held by entities residing in the Persian Gulf and Middle East area. This is the snapshot taken as of last December 31 by InfoCamere, which cross-referenced data from the Business Register to measure the real weight of this geopolitical area in the national productive fabric.
HOW MUCH DO INVESTMENTS FROM THE UAE, QATAR, ISRAEL AND OTHERS WEIGH IN ITALY
The composition of ownership highlights a very defined investment profile at the geographical level.
The United Arab Emirates represent 40.8% of the total capital from the area invested in Italy, corresponding to about 170 million euros.
Qatar stands out for a more concentrated participation model: with a 20% share of the total (about 83.4 million), Qatari investments focus on only 32 companies, for an average participation size significantly higher than other countries.
Following, with smaller shares, are Israel with 14.3% of the total (59 million), Lebanon with 10.2% (42.3 million), Saudi Arabia with 5.2% (about 22 million), and Iran with 5% (20.8 million).
The remaining six countries, from Bahrain to Kuwait, represent a residual share of 4.4%, corresponding to about 18.2 million.
“ALMOST 4,000 ITALIAN COMPANIES PARTICIPATED FOR OVER 400 MILLION EUROS OF CAPITAL”
“The Business Register is an essential tool to read in real time the geography of foreign investments in the Italian productive fabric – emphasizes the President of InfoCamere, Antonio Santocono. By cross-referencing demographic, asset, and ownership structure data, it is possible to produce granular analyses mapping countries of origin, sectors of activity, and shareholding percentages. The data we have processed provide a precise and unprecedented picture: almost 4,000 Italian companies participated for over 400 million euros of capital are not an episodic presence but a structured component of our economic system. InfoCamere makes this analytical capability available to support public decision-makers with reliable and updated data, all the more necessary to interpret a complex geopolitical context like the current one.”
THE SECTORS RECEIVING THE MOST INVESTMENTS
The investment profile of Middle Eastern countries in Italy appears strongly oriented towards sectors with high capital intensity and technological value. Specifically, the Manufacturing sector absorbs the majority share of capital invested by Middle Eastern countries (185 million euros), with an incidence of 44.6% of the total. Of particular importance is also the Transport and Logistics sector, where shareholders from the area hold stakes totaling 52.3 million, equal to 12.6% of the overall portfolio.
Sectoral analysis also confirms interest in the financial and insurance activities sector: in this sector, Middle Eastern shareholders are present in 72 Italian companies, with total share capital in the participated companies amounting to 44.7 million, equal to 10.8% of the total.
AVERAGE OWNERSHIP SHARES: NOT ONLY MINORITY PARTICIPATIONS
The Middle Eastern component is not limited to minority roles: in the case of some countries, it assumes prominent positions in corporate structures. While the average ownership share in participated companies is 6.9%, in the case of Qatar it reaches 62%, for Oman 46%, and for the United Arab Emirates 34%. This is evidence of the existence of structural partnerships in the Italian productive system, with a rooting that goes far beyond mere financial logic.
