FDI round-up: Thailand investment leaps, Bayer warns of unfriendly Europe, TotalEnergies builds off Brazil’s coast | fDi Intelligence – Your source for foreign direct investment information

Thailand saw pledges by local and foreign investors jump 39% last year compared to the previous year, the country’s Board of Investment (BOI) announced on January 13.

Investment applications in the country reached Bt664.6bn (around $20bn), boosted by significant foreign direct investment (FDI) funnelled to key sectors including electronics, the electric vehicle (EV) supply chain and data centres.

The numbers came after a board meeting that also approved a new “coordination mechanism” to smooth the way for multinational companies to set up regional headquarters in Thailand.

The increase, which almost entirely zeroed in on Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor, came “in large part from global leaders, such as BYD Auto, Foxconn and Amazon Web Services,” said Narit Therdsteerasukdi, secretary general of the BOI, in a statement.

Chinese investors were the most active, topping the…