From Hong Kong to Abu Dhabi, Gibraltar is pursuing new industries and investors as part of a major economic diversification drive. Minister Nigel Feetham says the campaign is already generating business. The bigger question is how far those opportunities can spread through Gibraltar’s wider economy.

Gibraltar has spent much of this year courting international investors in emerging financial technologies, with Minister for Justice, Trade and Industry Nigel Feetham leading an extensive outreach campaign that is beginning to produce results.

The recent increase in UK gambling duties has underlined Gibraltar’s exposure to economic decisions made elsewhere and added urgency to efforts to broaden the industries supporting the local economy. Speaking during the Funds Event at Gibraltar Day in London, Feetham outlined nine months of international engagement spanning Hong Kong, El Salvador, Miami, Canada and Abu Dhabi.

“We have built relationships across the world,” he told delegates, describing a campaign focused on identifying emerging industries and persuading international businesses to establish themselves in Gibraltar.

The sectors being targeted are ambitious, ranging from prediction markets and tokenisation to artificial intelligence and stablecoins. For Gibraltar’s existing business community, the interesting question is what happens around those new arrivals.

New markets, new business

Prediction markets provide one of the clearest examples so far. Following discussions at international conferences in Hong Kong and Miami, Gibraltar developed a dedicated regulatory framework for the sector. WagerWire subsequently established its headquarters on the Rock, something Feetham cited as evidence that overseas engagement is beginning to translate into commercial activity.

The Ministry has also been exploring tokenisation, where assets or financial rights are represented digitally, alongside opportunities around artificial intelligence and stablecoins.

These are areas where Gibraltar hopes to build on its established experience in financial regulation and digital assets.

More recently, discussions in Abu Dhabi resulted in a memorandum of understanding with the ADI Foundation to explore a multi-currency stablecoin consortium involving Gibraltar financial institutions.

Feetham has also spoken about positioning Gibraltar as a centre for sterling-backed digital currencies, potentially creating new financial links between Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

That work remains at an early stage, although discussions with local banks are already taking place.

Where could the opportunity spread?

Landing an international business is one measure of success. The wider economic value comes from what happens next.

A new fintech company may need lawyers, accountants, compliance specialists, technology providers and recruiters. It may need office space, training, marketing, insurance and a whole range of services that already exist locally. Its presence might also encourage established Gibraltar firms to develop new expertise or collaborate with partners in markets they previously had little reason to explore. Minister Feetham has made clear that he wants that local participation to form part of the proposition being put to investors.

“I want you at the same time to go into partnership with local businesses because the cake is big enough for the cake to be shared,” he told delegates, explaining the message he has been taking overseas. For Gibraltar businesses, that makes diversification more relevant than simply watching which companies choose to establish here.

The question becomes whether local firms are positioned to supply them, advise them, recruit for them or work alongside them.

New sectors need new skills

Emerging industries bring specialist requirements, and Gibraltar will need to consider whether its skills base can keep pace with the sectors it wants to attract. Will these businesses create substantial local employment? Which technical, compliance and professional skills will they need? Can those skills be developed locally, or will businesses need to attract more specialist talent from overseas?

For smaller companies, spotting that demand early could create opportunities. Training providers may see new subject areas emerge. Recruitment firms may need deeper specialist networks. Professional-services businesses may need to develop expertise around unfamiliar technologies and regulatory models.

The arrival of a new sector can create a much wider commercial ecosystem around it.

Measuring the impact

Gibraltar has already shown that a small jurisdiction can build internationally significant industries, particularly in gaming, insurance and financial services. The current outreach campaign is an attempt to extend that experience into new areas, using regulatory innovation and international relationships to create another layer of economic activity.

Some initiatives are already producing tangible business. Others remain exploratory.

The longer-term test will be whether they translate into sustained employment, investment, tax revenues and commercial opportunities for businesses already operating here.

For Gibraltar’s business community, that is where this diversification drive becomes especially interesting.

The international pitch may begin in Hong Kong, Miami or Abu Dhabi. Its real economic value will ultimately be measured by how much activity makes its way back into Gibraltar businesses.