With one of the largest economies in the world it was inevitable that Mexico would earn a place in our Economic Powerhouse series.

The land famous for its beer, tequila, sombreros and chimichangas is the largest trading nation in Latin America is predicted to have the world’s fifth largest economy by 2050. And with the Mexican government wishing to reduce its dependency on trade with the US, opportunities are ripe for UK companies.

Economic Powerhouses – The land of rising opportunity

As the 3rd largest economy in the world, it should come as no surprise that Japan is the final destination in our series on Economic Powerhouses. The Land of the Rising Sun ranks impressively high in the global economic stakes, hardly surprising given that Japan’s automotive and electronic influence in our daily lives is incredible – these dominant sectors are bolstered by industry giants like Toyota, Nissan, Sony and Olympus. Yet much like its namesake, many key sectors are on the rise, opening exciting doors for UK businesses to leap through. Let’s take a look at the possibilities worth exploring.

Hyundai. Samsung. Gangnam Style. The ‘Korean Wave’ has truly arrived on foreign shores. In 1999 journalists coined the term “Korean Wave” to represent China’s fascination with all things South Korean. Fast-forward a decade and South Korean culture has become a global phenomenon, thanks in part to a certain addictive song-dance combo, but mostly down to economic achievements. So, it comes as little surprise that the next Economic Powerhouse we’re looking at is the mighty South Korea. While some countries continue to bear the brunt of the financial crisis, the South Korean economy impressively saw 2.5% growth in 2012. With such success, opportunities for investment are in abundance…

Any foreign expansion opportunity is ultimately a high-stakes investment. Thankfully, with a good understanding of their target markets, businesses don’t need to risk life or limb to export products or services. In this edition of Economic Powerhouses, we look at the explosive economic revolution that Russia is currently experiencing. Trade between Russia and the UK has a current value of £4.78bn and is steadily rising, making it the perfect moment to invest in the right sector without the gamble….

In this edition of our Economic Powerhouse series we’re looking at how UK businesses can penetrate the unbelievable economic success story that is China.

It’s the world’s second largest economy, valued at £4.5 trillion. The annual growth rate is almost 10% and its e-commerce market value is predicted to be worth £150 billion by 2015. With such success, where is there room for UK business to tap into the increased spending power of the middle class Chinese?

The Vietnamese economy is wide-awake and ready for business. In the last decade the GDP has doubled, the annual growth rate has averaged 7.2% and increased foreign investment has created an economy boom.

The good news for UK businesses is that the UK/Vietnam relationship is very strong. Trade and investment form an important element of the Strategic Partnership Agreement signed in 2010. The Ministry of Industry and Trade in Vietnam also predicts the country’s import value to be around £52 billion by 2013.

Not far from home, Germany is riding out the current global recession with an annual economic value of £2 trillion. No surprise then that it’s the world’s 5th largest economy and 3rd largest exporter.

So here, we twitch our curtains and take a look at what our European neighbours are doing and which sectors have booming investment opportunities for UK businesses.

In this first article in our series on Powerhouse Economies we look at Brazil. In 3 years’ time the 2016 Rio Olympics is going to be one carnival-clad party with feathers galore and the world’s eyes firmly locked on everything Brazil has to offer.