Future of Free Trade Zones: Cadiz hosts the 2026 Ibero-American Summit -

Photograph of the Cadiz Free Trade Zone.

Ibero-American Meeting

The 29th Ibero-American Free Zones Conference will be held in Cádiz from October 26 to 28. Organized by AZFA and the Cádiz Free Zone, the event will bring together international leaders to analyze the challenges in talent, innovation, and investment, strengthening the economic axis between Europe and Latin America.

Cadiz, capital of innovation and Ibero-American trade

From 26 to October 28, Cádiz will host the XXIX Conference of Ibero-American Free Zones, a key forum organized by the Asociación de Zonas Francas de las Américas (AZFA) And Zona Franca de CádizThe meeting, which will take place under the motto "The ocean that unites us. The conversations that will shape the future", will transform the city into a space for reflection and international cooperation on the economic future of these strategic areas and their role as engines of development.

The event will bring together institutional representatives, companies, universities, experts, and international organizations to strengthen economic ties on both sides of the border. Atlántico and promote new business opportunities. Fran González, State delegate in the Zona Franca de CádizThis conference represents "an extraordinary opportunity to showcase to the entire community of Iberoamérica the transformation that is taking place Zona Franca de Cádiz and share projects that are generating international interest.” González emphasizes that the summit will be “the ideal setting to consolidate the strategic alliances we have forged in recent months and open new avenues for cooperation.”

The five key points of the debate: from talent to investment

The conference program has been designed to revolve around five major thematic blocks that will define the future of competitiveness in free trade zones. The debate will focus on the talent as the main driver of business transformation; innovation, driven by collaboration between universities and companies for digitalization and sustainability; the knowledge transfer to transform research into competitiveness; the Your Strategic analyzing financial instruments for internationalization; and finally, the creation of business ecosystems robust ones that attract capital and foster synergies.

Strategic Thematic Axis	Focus Area
Talent	Leadership, training and entrepreneurship for the transformation of organizations.
Innovation	Academia-business collaboration for digitalization and new production models.
Knowledge Transfer	Connecting research, logistics and business to generate competitiveness.
Investment	Financial instruments and alliances to boost internationalization.
Business Ecosystems	Cooperation to generate synergies, attract capital and strengthen entrepreneurship.

Strategic agenda: geopolitics, logistics and the Blue Economy

These five themes will serve as the guiding thread for a series of roundtables addressing highly topical issues for international business. The program will analyze Ibero-American business integration, the role of SMEs in the regional economy, the strategic function of ports as global logistics platforms, and financing mechanisms for sustainable development. Furthermore, it will delve into the geopolitics of trade, the potential of tourist free zones and public-private collaboration as an engine of innovation.

A key item on the agenda will be the progress of the pilot certification project for the OCDE For free trade zones, a key initiative for standardization and transparency. The program will be complemented by the Assembly of the Asociación de Zonas Francas de las Américas and a keynote address linked to Blue Zone Forum-InnovazulThis connection reinforces the commitment of the Zona Franca de Cádiz awarded by the Blue Economyconsolidating its position as an international benchmark in this sector and as a strategic meeting point between Europa e Iberoamérica.