In his first-ever visit to Miami, His Excellency Georg Sparber, Liechtenstein’s Ambassador to the United States, is already taking notes. On a March trip hosted by the World Affairs Council of Miami, Sparber was exploring opportunities to deepen economic ties and people-to-people connections between the small but mighty Alpine nation and South Florida.
What brought you here on this trip?
I’ve always had a soft spot for Florida, mostly from the movies and books I loved growing up, but this is actually my first time in Miami. We’re off to a great start—we visited Little Havana yesterday and stopped at Versailles, just to get a first impression of the culture and history here. It’s beautiful.
Tell us about your role as ambassador.
I’ve been the Ambassador of Liechtenstein to the United States for three and a half years. I joined the diplomatic service 16 years ago. These are exciting times in the U.S., and I see a lot of potential to strengthen our relationship, especially through economic ties and people-to-people contact.
Liechtenstein has gone through a remarkable economic transformation. Any lessons for Miami?
After World War II, Liechtenstein transitioned very quickly from a rural economy to one of the most industrialized countries in the world. We benefited from the “peace dividend” in Europe—long-standing peace and stability in the region—and developed a strong startup mentality. Many of the industries that emerged back then are still around today and are globally competitive. Some even have a footprint in the United States. That’s part of why I’m here: to learn more about South Florida’s conditions for doing business and share those insights with our companies.
Are there specific economic or cultural interests Liechtenstein has in Miami?
We’re a country of only 40,000 people, but Liechtenstein companies provide around 7,000 jobs in the U.S.—mostly in manufacturing and construction. Some of those sectors, like automotive and dentistry, are particularly interesting for South Florida.
Are those industries where you see opportunity for partnerships in South Florida?
Yes, those are sectors where we’re already well established in the U.S. and part of the supply chain. But we’re open to new areas as well. Liechtenstein also has a financial sector, and we’re very interested in South Florida’s activities around digital finance. We’ve created a regulatory framework that gives U.S. companies a way into the European Union single market—through Liechtenstein, they can access over 400 million consumers.
What Liechtenstein companies currently operate in Florida?
We do have some presence here. For example, Hilti, in the construction sector, employs more than 100 people in Florida and is our biggest employer in the U.S. There’s also Ivoclar, which specializes in dental technology. Their sales and marketing operations are active in the region.
Do you see potential collaboration with Miami’s financial sector?
We’ve developed strict regulations to ensure legal security for digital assets and to prevent abuse. That gives us a competitive advantage [and] we also have strong ties with Switzerland. There are already good discussions between our leadership and U.S. regulators—mostly in D.C.—but I think there’s great potential to explore opportunities more concretely here in Miami.
