International capital loosens its pace in the Canary Islands. According to the latest figures from the Registry of Foreign Investments of the Ministry of Commerce (through the DataInvex platform), gross foreign investment captured by the archipelago stood at 170.47 million euros during the first six months of 2026.
The figure represents a contraction of 11.66% compared to the 192.84 million mobilized in the first half of 2025, a setback that contrasts with the trend in the country as a whole, where operations grew by more than 31%.
Underneath this moderate decline, however, lies a radical shift both in the activities that attract funds and in the geographical origin of investors.
Collapse in accommodation & takeoff of the naval sector
The most pronounced shift is observed in the destination of operations. If in the first half of 2025 the undisputed engine was the tourism industry —with 139.95 million euros destined for accommodation services such as hotels and apartments—, at the start of 2026 this item has experienced a testimonial collapse, plummeting to 1.70 million euros. The real estate sector follows the same trend, going from absorbing 35.79 million to capturing only 3.43 million.
The gap left by real estate and tourism has been almost entirely filled by the rental of uncrewed navigation means sector, an activity linked to the maritime field that has gone from registering a residual presence (barely 51,500 euros) to capturing 144.64 million euros, concentrating the bulk of the investment flow in the Islands.
Denmark becomes the main origin of foreign capital in the Archipelago with 73.11 million euros (42.9% of the total). It is followed by investment with a matrix of Spanish origin returning through international structures (61.17 million), Switzerland (12.66 million), Portugal (10.97 million), and Germany (7.77 million). This scenario contrasts with that of a year ago, when Norway (66.51 million) and Spain (67.49 million) led financial inflows to the Islands.
Regarding the type of investor, the platform attributes the majority share (73.11 million) to public or sovereign investment funds, followed by individuals (60.42 million), commercial companies (24.29 million), and private collective investment institutions (12.64 million).
In the internal geographical distribution, the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife monopolized 87.5% of investments, attracting 149.10 million euros, largely due to the territorial affiliation of large maritime operations. For its part, the province of Las Palmas registered 21.36 million euros.
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