Krakow offers attractive business opportunities and the number of direct foreign investments constantly increases. The largest foreign investments in Krakow are in banking, industry, and trade sectors, and over the recent years in financial and telecommunications services as well as IT. Apart from the European companies, there are also considerable US investments. The largest investments in Krakow and the region include:

BP is one of the leaders in fuel industry. It invested $48.5 million in its Polish subsidiary, PB Poland Sp. z o.o., which headquarters are in Krakow.

Valeo is an independent industrial Group fully focused on the design, production and sale of components, integrated systems and modules for cars and trucks. Valeo ranks among the world's top automotive suppliers. The Group has 140 plants, 54 R&D centers, 9 distribution centers and employs 69,100 people in 25 countries worldwide. Valeo has a facility in Skawina near Krakow: Valeo Autosystemy Sp. z o.o., producing wiper systems.

Delphi provides technologies for the automotive industry. Delphi began operating in Poland in 1994. Today, Delphi Poland is one of the largest employers in Central and Eastern Europe. In 2003, Delphi was ranked by "Newsweek Polska" as a top employer in domestic automotive industry. Delphi Automotive Systems Poland Sp. z o.o. has its Delphi Technical Center in Krakow.

Motorola is a world leader in advanced tele-communications and electronics services, supplying integrated network solutions and access to the Internet through radio and satellite. The Motorola strategy in Poland comprises developing co-operation with the Polish scientific and business partners in the field of high technology. Motorola Software Centre, located in Krakow, is a telecommunication infrastructure laboratory.

Philip Morris Polska SA is an affiliate of Philip Morris International (PMI), one of the world’s leading tobacco companies. The company has its factory, distribution centre as well as PMI Service Center Europe Sp. z o.o. in Krakow.

The Can-Pack Group is one of the most technologically advanced packaging manufacturers in Europe. The Group owes its excellent standing on the Polish and European markets to the high quality of its products and modern manufacturing technology.

RR Donnelley owns and operates state of the art offset printing plants in the UK and Poland. RR Donnelley Europe sp. z o.o. has its Manufacturing Facility and Sales Office in Krakow.

Pliva is the second largest investor in the pharmaceutical industry in Poland thanks to investments of $200 million. It is a laureate of Voivode Prize for the best foreign investment in Małopolska in 2004. Pliva Krakow was nominated for the President of Poland Economic Award in the category "Foreign investment in Poland”. The company has Effervescent Forms Production Facility in Krakow.

The MAN Group is one of the largest producers of commercial vehicles in the world. In October 2007 MAN truck factory was opened in Niepolomice, near Krakow. The investment in the plant was 90 million EUR and 15 thousand lorries are to be produced in the factory each year. 600 jobs have been created as a result of the German investment.

Mittal Steel Poland consists of four plants, one of which is located in Krakow. The company paid $202.1 million for the Huta im. Tadeusza Sendzimira (HTS) Steelworks and its affiliates. The steelplant specialises in sheets for car making industry.

HGA Capital / HSH Nordbank and ECE Projektmanagement invested $93.7 million to build Galeria Krakowska shopping mall.

There are also many investments in the sector of Business Process Outsourcing, especially in the development of the services bases on IT technologies. The companies which invested in Krakow include:

Call Centres: CBB Call Center, Call Center i Contact Center Azsoft, International Paper, Communication Faktory.

Shared Service Centres: Affiliated Computer Services, CAP Gemini, PwC Polska, IFS Poland, Airline Accounting Center (Lufthansa Group), IBM BTO Business Consulting Services, Hewitt, Centrum Finansowe Tesco, Electrolux, Shell, Philip Morris, Exult, KPMG.

IT Centres: Google, Motorola, IBM Krakow Software Laboratory, Delphi Polska, ComArch

Two new firms will be added to the Krakow Technology Park (KPT). KPT is meant to become the city’s high-tech powerhouse providing industrial base for Krakow’s fifteen higher education institutions and over 140 research centers. Welcome are investments pertaining to IT, electronics, communications, software and hardware, material engineering, biotech, genetics, etc. In October 2007 permission was granted to two firms: Sabre Poland Sp. z o.o. and Elettric 80 Sp. z o.o.

Sabre is an American Company, which will be concerned with IT services and R&D work. The firm intends to employ at least 75 people and will invest 900 thousand PLN.

The Italian firm, Elettric 80 Sp z o.o. will trade in the same field; they intend to employ a minimum of 21 workers and will invest 125 thousand EUR (ca. 475 thousand PLN).