Belfast high in US-UK investment rankings, welcomes US trade body visit

  • Belfast takes a top spot in the ranking of UK cities receiving direct foreign investment from the US, coming in second place just behind London. A US trade delegation will be visiting Belfast this month to capitalise on this relationship.

    New figures from the United States International Trade Commission confirm that Belfast has attracted more foreign direct investment jobs from the United States than any UK city apart from London. According to the trade body, the US is the main source of international investment into Northern Ireland and imports from the US also increased by 6.3% last year.

    The Northern Ireland tech and business scene has certainly seen the effects of US investment recently, with US-led property developers leading several major office redevelopments of landmark buildings in the past year alone. Major US firms in the cyber-security and software engineering fields have continued to set up new offices in Belfast to take advantage of Northern Ireland's excellent local talent and lower costs.

    In recognition of the importance of Northern Ireland to US trade, the United States International Trade Commission will be travelling to Belfast to hold a listening session event on April 26th. A number of small and medium-sized US businesses will attend the event in the US Consulate to discuss challenges exporting to the UK and investing in the UK.

    The result of these talks will have an impact on the US Government's policy on the future of UK-US trade relations and investment opportunities, and is sure to see Belfast highlighted as a key centre for US investment. Emanuel Adam, Executive Director of firm BritishAmerican Business said: "Clearly there is huge demand for US products in Northern Ireland and we look forward to joining the USITC's listening session in Belfast later this month to find out what more can be done to strengthen and grow this relationship."

    About the author

    Brendan is a Sync NI writer with a special interest in the gaming sector, programming, emerging technology, and physics. To connect with Brendan, feel free to send him an email or follow him on Twitter.

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