Trend Micro opens its new strategic hub in Barcelona

The Japanese multinational cybersecurity specialist Trend Micro has opened a new hub in Barcelona to coordinate its operations in southern Europe.

The company's new office, located in the Mapfre Tower, will be its regional commercial headquarters and will operate under the umbrella of Trend Micro Spain. Its goal is to reach 300 employees within two years. The company is also considering expanding its presence in the city with a new space in the 22@ technology district by 2027.

During the inauguration of the new offices, Toni Abellán, CEO of Trend Micro Iberia, explained that the choice of the city responds to an international expansion strategy that seeks to take advantage of Barcelona's concentration of talent and technological activity. He also noted that the office will directly manage its resources and provide support to clients in Spain, Portugal, and other southern European countries.

Trend Micro previously had an office in Barcelona located in a coworking space in Glòries. Lisbon and Malaga were also considered for the new center.

According to data from the City Council, Barcelona currently hosts 160 international hubs, generating an economic impact of €2.8 billion and more than 34,000 skilled jobs. Last year, 6,191 new jobs were created in these types of centers, representing a 22% growth. The cybersecurity sector in Catalonia had a turnover of €1.473 billion in 2024, 18.7% more than the previous year, with a total of 577 active companies and more than 10,000 professionals. Twenty-six percent of the companies export their services, and 17% are subsidiaries of foreign companies.

Trend Micro serves more than 2,500 SMEs in Spain and Portugal, and its clients also include the Spanish government. The company has announced that the Barcelona hub will include engineering, operations, technical support, and business development functions, and will have links with local universities and training centers.

The company, headquartered in Japan, has a global workforce of 7,500 employees across 70 countries and an annual turnover of nearly €2.5 billion . Founded more than three decades ago, it specializes in protecting digital systems using artificial intelligence techniques, with solutions aimed at threat detection and automated response in cloud environments such as AWS, Microsoft, and Google Cloud.

One of the company's challenges is recruiting qualified cybersecurity professionals . According to Abellán, the company promotes an internal culture based on staff development and talent retention. At Trend Micro, they promote the generation of "university talent," as Abellán himself stated.