Casablanca Finance City (CFC) was present at a series of recent multilateral financial and economic events held in Beijing, speaking on topics including Morocco’s investment competitiveness, bilateral financial and economic cooperation, carbon markets, and how Chinese companies can utilize Morocco as a gateway to develop their African markets. These occasions further highlighted CFC’s positioning as a major financial and business platform for Africa.

Created in 2010, Casablanca Finance City Authority (CFCA) is the institution in charge of developing and promoting Casablanca Finance City (CFC), Africa’s leading financial centre according to the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI). CFCA currently brings together nearly 300 international companies operating across 50 African countries.

As part of this presence, CFC took part in the panel “Financing the Future: Mobilizing Private Capital for Resilient Infrastructure and Nature”, co-organized by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Institute of International Finance (IIF). As Africa’s leading financial centre, CFC was invited to share its experience and reflections on the development of Morocco’s carbon market ecosystem, green finance, and climate-related investment. During the discussion, CFC highlighted its work across three main areas: market infrastructure and governance, policy support, and ecosystem-building. This includes efforts to support the establishment of a national Article 6.2 registry, contribute to Morocco’s climate framework and future legislation, and help develop carbon market-related expertise in Casablanca.

Aziz El Khyari, Director of Business Development and Director of Carbon Markets at Casablanca Finance City Authority, emphasized that carbon markets are not only a climate issue, but also an issue of industry and competitiveness. In his view, CFC’s core role lies in building the ecosystem, skills base, and institutional foundations needed to help Moroccan and African projects generate greater value, while also supporting decarbonization and strengthening their long-term ability to compete in international markets.

In addition, at the China-Africa Financial Bridges Forum 2026 held on May 20, Casablanca Finance City was invited to attend alongside representatives from China-Africa exchange circles, as well as business, chamber, and association representatives involved in China-Morocco economic cooperation. As a keynote speaker, Aziz El Khyari presented Morocco’s broader business environment advantages. He noted that Casablanca Finance City is a flagship Moroccan financial and business hub oriented toward Africa, combining a world-class business environment, a stable exchange-rate and policy framework, and strong international market connectivity supported by Morocco’s free trade agreements with multiple countries and regions. At the same time, Casablanca also offers clear advantages in air connectivity, tax incentives, ease of cross-border capital flows, and the ability to attract foreign talent. Aziz emphasized that Casablanca Finance City has ranked first in Africa’s financial centre index for several consecutive years, and that a number of Chinese institutions and companies, including Bank of China and Huawei, Lenovo, UnionPay, have already established regional headquarters there, making it an important base for Chinese companies seeking to expand into Africa and reach Europe and other international markets.

The core value proposition that CFC currently emphasizes to the Chinese market can be summarized in three main dimensions.

First, the competitiveness of its regulatory and business environment. Through a dedicated framework, CFC offers international companies tax incentives, ease of cross-border capital flows, and a high degree of policy predictability. For companies setting up regional headquarters, these factors are directly linked to investor confidence and long-term operating efficiency.

Second, CFC offers practical support for the regional development of Chinese companies. It is not merely a conceptual “gateway to Africa,” but a platform able to provide hands-on facilitation, including team deployment, administrative support, business setup, and integration into local and regional ecosystems.

Third, CFC provides access to African markets. Its strategy is not to position Casablanca as an isolated point, but rather to develop it into a regional hub from which companies can enter Africa, understand Africa, and connect with Africa.

Through partnerships with government institutions and market players across multiple countries, as well as delegation exchanges and investment matchmaking, CFC is actively fulfilling this role as a platform that connects businesses from Casablanca to the wider continent, a positioning that aligns closely with the evolving international development strategies of Chinese companies.