Greece riskier than Kazakhstan says BDO report

A REPORT by the accountancy firm BDO suggests companies see investment in Greece and Spain as more risky than Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Egypt.

Its Global Ambitions report surveyed around 1,000 chief financial officers in 14 countries. A tenth of the respondents were based in the UK.

The report shows some 17% of UK-based finance directors considered Greece a risky investment, and Spain slightly safer at 14%.

This compared to 12% considering Pakistan risky, while 11% viewed Egypt as a risk, and 10 % for Kazakhstan.

The report found that UK mid-cap businesses are investing more in international operations and expect to increase revenue abroad over the next three years.

Some 82% of UK mid-cap firms said they felt optimistic about their international expansion plans. However, UK firms are concerned about a number of risks and challenges, particularly instability caused by currency fluctuations, which is believed to be the greatest risk, according to one third of respondents.

Of those finding expansion difficult, many name the burden and complexity of increased regulation as a key challenge (38%). Despite concerns over Greece and Spain some 61% claimed the eurozone crisis has had little or no impact on their overseas investment plans.