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Financial services

Innovative, resilient, agile

Northern Ireland is a leading global location for financial services investment.

The region is leading the way in providing a wide range of international financial services solutions including fund administration, investment operations, regulatory compliance and risk management, in support of the global capital markets, asset management and banking industries.

Northern Ireland has exceptionally strong credentials in financial services technology and is a European leader in sophisticated software development for major financial institutions worldwide.

A host of global financial services institutions have established operations of scale in Northern Ireland including Allstate, Citi, CME Group, FinTrU, IQ-EQ and TP ICAP.

A dynamic cluster of home-grown companies such as Data Intellect, FD Technologies, Datactics and FSCOM thrive in a supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem in which collaboration and innovation is encouraged and supported by the government.

Download the Northern Ireland FinTech Companies to Watch (PDF)

  • Cost competitive

    40% reduction in typical salary costs compared to London and 30% reduction compared to Dublin (Bond Search & Selection, 2022)

  • High employment

    45,000+ people employed in the Financial & Professional Services sector (NI BRES 2021 & Invest NI data)

  • Available talent

    5,500 graduates in business & technology each year (HESA 2020/21)

  • Top location

    Belfast is the world’s top city for fintech inward investment projects (fDi Markets FT, 2023)

Areas of expertise

Area of sector expertise

  • Banking & capital markets technology
  • RegTech & compliance
  • InsureTech
  • Data analytics & AI
  • Payments & accountstech
  • Funds & wealthtech
  • Cyber security
  • Belfast is the world’s number 1 investment location for financial services technology inward investment projects. (fDi Markets FT, 2023)
  • Highest concentration of fintech employment in the UK - 1 in 5 people working across financial services and tech is working in fintech. (NI Fintech Ecosystem Report, 2020)
  • Belfast is ranked in the top 3 Global Fintech locations of the future after London and Singapore. (fDi Intelligence Fintech locations of the Future 2019/20)

Who's here

Global leaders successfully operating in the region include:

Alfac company logo

Leading US insurance company Aflac established a Global IT and Cyber Security Innovation Centre in Northern Ireland in 2019 to support customers and market growth in the US and Japan. Teams in Belfast are providing technical expertise and operational support to Aflac’s US cyber security and IT operations.

Northern Ireland for foreign direct investment

Northern Ireland is an attractive place for investment in the financial services sector thanks to a combination of factors including skills availability, excellent infrastructure, cost-effectiveness, and a supportive business environment. To find out more visit our Invest in Northern Ireland section.

Financial services in Northern Ireland video playlist

 

Hear from our investors on why they chose Northern Ireland for their investment.

Get in touch

Connect with a member of our financial services team via LinkedIn.

Please get in touch.  You can find a team in your region or fill in an enquiry form and a member of the team will contact you directly.

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