Marbella Is Changing. I Was in the Documentary That Proves It.
By Artur Loginov · 9m. reading time
A few weeks ago I was approached to be part of a documentary about the tech and entrepreneurship scene growing on the Costa del Sol. I said yes, not because it was a real estate opportunity, but because something worth documenting is genuinely happening here. Marbella is changing, and I wanted to be part of that conversation.
The documentary is called Costa del Tech. It premiered on 3rd March 2026 at The Pool Marbella. I was in the room that evening, and I had a segment in the film itself. Sitting there, watching it with the people who built the companies it features, one thing became very clear to me. Nobody in that room was here on holiday.
1. What Is Actually Changing in Marbella
I have been in Marbella since I was five years old. My entire professional career has been here. So when I say the city feels different today, I am not reading about it. I am living inside the change.
Marbella is no longer only a luxury holiday destination. It is becoming a serious operational base for internationally mobile founders, executives, and investors who have chosen to run global businesses from here. That shift is documented, it is accelerating, and it has direct consequences for the property market.
What has shifted is who is buying — and more importantly, why they are buying.
The traditional profile still exists. A wealthy family looking for a summer home or a solid investment property in Sierra Blanca, the Golden Mile, or La Zagaleta. That client has not gone anywhere. But sitting alongside them now is a completely different kind of buyer. Founders who have relocated their operations here. Executives running European or global businesses without needing to be in a capital city. Investors who arrived for a weekend and were looking at listings by Monday morning. People who chose Marbella not as a place to escape from their work, but as a place to do it better.
That shift did not happen overnight. And it did not happen by accident.
2. What Is Costa del Tech — and Why I Was Part of It
Costa del Tech is a documentary about the technology and entrepreneurship ecosystem developing on the Costa del Sol. It was produced by FJX Group — a consulting and technology firm that has been quietly building serious professional infrastructure in the Málaga region — and premiered on 3rd March 2026 at The Pool Marbella.
The documentary tells the story of the companies and the people behind this shift. AI companies. Global data platforms. Nearshoring hubs. Founders who chose the Costa del Sol not as a lifestyle compromise but as a strategic base. Several of the businesses featured operate at a global level and happen to be headquartered here, not in London, not in Berlin. Here.
The thread running through all of them is the same. Quality of life did not replace professional ambition. It amplified it.
FJX Group and the scale of what is being built
FJX Group's own engineering hub in Málaga already employs over forty engineers, with a concrete plan to reach one hundred by the end of 2026. That is not a pilot programme. That is a business decision backed by real conviction in this region — the kind of conviction that only comes when the numbers actually work.
My segment in the documentary
I was asked to speak about Marbella from the perspective of someone who has watched this market from the inside for a long time. My segment was titled “Why I chose Marbella as my base.” The honest answer is that I never chose it in a dramatic sense. I grew up here, built my career here, and stayed because I never found a compelling reason to leave. But watching what is happening around me now, I understand why people who have every option available to them are arriving and making the same choice as adults.
3. What Is The Pool Marbella
The Pool Marbella is a private professional community and business hub in the centre of Marbella. It was built around a simple observation: the international talent was already here. It just had nowhere to connect.
Today its members span nearly forty nationalities and cover sectors from private equity and AI to architecture, cleantech, and early-stage venture. Monthly events, vertical industry communities, and a working environment designed for people who take their work seriously.
What The Pool represents is not a coworking space. It is evidence, evidence that a functional professional ecosystem now exists in Marbella that simply did not exist five years ago.
4. Who Is Buying Property in Marbella Today — and What They Actually Need
The buyer profile in Marbella has expanded significantly over the past five years. Two distinct profiles now define the market, and understanding both matters for anyone thinking about buying property in Marbella.
| Profile | Why they come to Marbella | What they need from a property |
|---|---|---|
| Classic luxury buyer | Summer residence or investment asset | Views, pool, architecture, prestige location |
| Relocating founder or executive | Operational base without sacrificing professional output | Home office, connectivity, airport access, year-round community |
| Tech investor | Tax-efficient European base with strong quality of life | Long-term capital value, proximity to growing professional network |
What this buyer needs from real estate — and where most agents get it wrong
The relocating founder or executive needs something specific that the classic luxury buyer does not. They need a home office that genuinely works. They care about broadband and airport access more than pool size. They often relocate with a team or know others who will follow — which means a single housing decision can generate a chain of transactions over the following year.
They tend to be well-researched. They have done the numbers on quality of life, cost of living, professional infrastructure, and tax. What they sometimes lack is the on-the-ground knowledge of where to actually buy — what the different areas feel like to live in year-round rather than for two weeks in August, and who to trust in a market that rewards real local expertise.
Where Drumelia operates in this market
We have spent over twenty years working with internationally-minded buyers in Marbella. We know the difference between what photographs well in a listing and what actually works for someone building a life and a business here. La Zagaleta, Sierra Blanca, the Golden Mile — these are not just postcodes to us. They are places we understand in detail, across all seasons and all buyer profiles.
5. What This Means If You Are Thinking About Marbella Now
The structural argument for Marbella as a long-term investment is stronger than it has been at any previous point. The inflection has happened. The pricing and attention consequences have not fully followed yet. For a buyer who understands what they are looking at, that gap is exactly where the opportunity sits.
The city is changing. The opportunity is real. And from everything I saw at that premiere, this is still early.
If any part of what I have described resonates — whether you are considering a move, a property investment, or simply want an honest conversation about what the Marbella market looks like today — reach out. We are not hard to find, and we do not do hard sells.
Talk to Drumelia about buying in Marbella →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Marbella becoming a tech hub?
Yes, and the evidence is operational rather than speculative. FJX Group already runs an engineering hub in Málaga with over forty engineers and a target of one hundred by end of 2026. Multiple AI companies and global data platforms are headquartered on the Costa del Sol. The Pool Marbella provides the professional community infrastructure that supports and connects this ecosystem day to day.
Why are tech founders and executives buying property in Marbella?
The combination of tax advantages — including the Beckham Law for qualifying new residents and Andalusia's inheritance and wealth tax benefits — Málaga Airport connectivity, a growing professional community, international schools, and genuine year-round quality of life makes Marbella competitive against alternatives like Dubai, Lisbon, or Amsterdam. Quality of life and professional ambition reinforce each other here rather than competing.
What areas of Marbella work best for someone relocating to work?
It depends on the profile. Sierra Blanca and the Golden Mile offer proximity to the centre with strong year-round community density. La Zagaleta provides maximum privacy and security. Nueva Andalucía works well for families prioritising international school access. The right answer requires understanding the areas in detail across all seasons — not just what they look like in August.
How does Drumelia work with buyers relocating to Marbella?
Drumelia has been working with internationally-minded buyers in Marbella for over twenty years. For someone relocating rather than buying a second home, the conversation that matters most is not about listings — it is about area selection, practical infrastructure, and long-term fit. We approach those conversations without a sales agenda. We are not hard to find, and we do not do hard sells.
Note: Costa del Tech premiered on 3rd March 2026 at The Pool Marbella and was produced by FJX Group. Artur Loginov, CEO of Drumelia Real Estate, participated as a featured contributor. All factual claims are accurate at time of publication.
Artur Loginov is CEO of Drumelia, Marbella's leading luxury property agency. For enquiries about buying or investing in the Marbella area, browse our current listings or contact us directly.
