GIBRALTAR–(BUSINESS WIRE)– With the UK a matter of weeks away from triggering Article 50 and formally commencing the timeline for exiting the European Union, Gibraltar risks pulling the short straw of the deal.

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Commerce and Prosperity Focuses World Trade Center Gibraltar’s Vision Ahead of Brexit (Photo: Business Wire)

However, Gibraltar has a colourful history when it comes to challenges. It is no surprise therefore that, at a time when some would run or hide, Chief Minister Fabian Picardo formally opened the 250,000+sqft brand new World Trade Center Gibraltar, in preparation for Brexit.

Defying the odds, the new office building is already almost completely pre-let and turning away customers in a show of optimism on the Rock that has stunned many onlookers. There is good reason for this. With 90% of Gibraltar’s business and services in the EU single market being conducted with the UK, Gibraltar’s economic exposure is not as it seems.

At the 1939 World’s Fair in New York, the inception of the World Trade Center brand was conceived, with the key aspiration behind it being to promote peace and prosperity, through trade. At a time when international trade faces the risk of significant set-backs from more prevalent isolationist agendas, World Trade Center Gibraltar is an opportune intervention for keeping Gibraltar well and truly on the map as a global player in a number of sectors, such as internet gaming and insurance, in addition to the growing cluster of SMEs that are global leaders in delivering innovative, technologically advanced payment systems.

World Trade Center Gibraltar is a state-of-the-art, ultra-modern office building and it joins the wider World Trade Center Association network, encompassing 91 countries around the world, promoting international prosperity, through trade.

It is hoped by the developer that World Trade Center Gibraltar will be a beacon for promoting international trade in the coming days, weeks, months and years, whilst Brexit negotiations take place.

As Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo exclaimed on opening the new facility, “We are proud to be here to inaugurate Gibraltar’s first World Trade Center. Brexit is not the beginning of the end of Gibraltar, it’s actually just the end of the beginning, and the arrival of this first World Trade Center is Gibraltar saying to the world: ‘Here we come!”’

A major developer within Gibraltar, Gregory Butcher highlights the crucial advantage that is gained, particularly in preparation for Brexit; “Through investing in highly sophisticated infrastructure, we have enabled trading on the London markets in 1 / 35,000^th of a second for our occupiers. Without this they couldn’t possibly compete within today’s international markets. It’s a critical part of preparing our businesses for new channels of international trade in the coming months and years”

World Trade Center Gibraltar is both a significant addition to the WTCA network and an essential platform, which will support Gibraltar’s future growth plans and ambitious economic objectives.

Contact World Trade Center Gibraltar on 00 350 200 63333, email enquiries@wtc.gi or visit  www.worldtradecenter.gi

For further press information or photography please contact Emilia Hazell-Smith at emilia@worldtradecenter.gi or telephone 00 350 200 40048

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Contacts

World Trade Center Gibraltar
Emilia Hazell-Smith, 00 350 200 40048
emilia@worldtradecenter.gi