The Moroccan financial centre Casablanca Finance City (CFC) has surpassed 300 business partners from 35 countries, with a combined revenue of over €1.8 billion and 9,400 workers. The institution seeks to attract investment and talent in competition with Madrid and Barcelona.
Casablanca Finance City (CFC) has surpassed 300 business partners from 35 countries, according to data from the institution itself. The ecosystem generates over €1.8 billion in revenue and employs 9,400 workers. The information, reported by ecosistemastartup.com, indicates that 56% of the income of these companies comes from abroad and that, of that international activity, 53% is generated in Africa.
CFC is a public-private project launched in 2010 under the impetus of King Mohamed VI. It is led by Saïd Ibrahimi, a financier and general treasurer of the Kingdom. Its proposal can be summarised as "giving confidence to capital", which in practice translates into predictable rules, legal security, and support to connect capital with projects.
The second edition of the Casablanca Business Forum, organised by CFC under the slogan "The next economic chapter of Africa", brought together African leaders and personalities from the business and academic world. Among the participants were Lionel Zinsou, Benin's minister until 2016; Patrick Dupoux, head of the consultancy BCG; Philippe Aghion, Nobel Prize winner in Economics 2025; and Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni, Morocco's Minister of Digital Transition.
The declared objective of CFC is for Casablanca to gain weight against major European capitals, including Madrid and Barcelona, as a base from which to cover West Africa. The advantage it offers is not cost, but position: connectivity with Europe and the rest of Africa, mobility, and the ability to attract talent.
"Here you find everything you need"
This was explained by Philippe Valahu, CEO of Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG), after studying several alternatives before settling in CFC. Valahu adds that Africa needs to build practically everything (energy, transport, ports, regional connections) and that, however, he misses a greater presence of large Spanish groups.
The business movements towards CFC are not isolated decisions. Orange established its regional operational headquarters for Africa and the Middle East in 2020. Deloitte joined in 2021 and two years later inaugurated the Morocco Cyber Center, a 2,000 square metre cybersecurity centre with around a hundred engineers. According to the organisation, some functions that are now carried out from Morocco were previously managed from Barcelona. PIDG chose Casablanca as its base for West Africa, and the Spanish company Cox Energy is already among the partners of CFC for its activity in water desalination and clean energy infrastructure in the region. Huawei, Bank of China, and UnionPay International have also shown interest in the district. The United States moved its Consulate General in Casablanca to Casa Finance City.
On the diplomatic front, in June CFC signed an alliance with the Istanbul Financial Centre (IFC) to boost investment flows between Turkey and Africa via Morocco. In May, it participated in a promotional tour of China with stops in Beijing, Shanghai, Jinan, and Qingdao.
Beyond the towers, CFC promotes the Casablanca International Mediation and Arbitration Centre (CIMAC), which is presented as the first arbitration centre on the continent with an international governing body. The aim is for companies to resolve their disputes under predictable rules without leaving the region.
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