Ireland opens markets at the London Stock Exchange to celebrate deepening UK-Ireland innovation ties
Ireland’s Minister for Financial Services Robert Troy, today became the first Irish government minister to open markets at the London Stock Exchange (LSE), marking Ireland Day and the growing innovation partnership between the UK and Ireland’s financial services sectors.
Hosted by Enterprise Ireland – the Irish government’s trade and innovation agency and Europe’s third-most active VC investor in fintech – the event highlighted record investment, expansion and landmark acquisitions by Irish financial services and fintech firms in the UK, including Ireland’s Fexco Group’s acquisition of Sainsbury’s Travel money this year. The acquisition marks a major expansion for Fexco in the UK’s retail foreign exchange market. The deal announced during the summer, increases Fexco’s UK retail footprint to more than 460 locations, as well as introducing over 18 million Nectar members to Fexco’s travel money services.
Minister Robert Troy commented: “Ireland and the UK are indispensable partners in today’s financial services ecosystem. Sustained investment in Irish fintech and their growth and expansion in the UK, has played a pivotal role in shaping excellence across the City and the wider UK market. Today’s announcements demonstrate how Irish firms are not only investing at home but are also creating jobs and establishing a permanent presence in the UK, benefiting both the UK and Irish economies.”
Supported by nearly €1bn in VC funding over the past five years, Enterprise Ireland-backed fintech companies are tackling critical industry challenges in compliance, data analytics, cybersecurity, risk management and digital transformation across the UK and global markets.
More than 200 Enterprise Ireland financial services and fintech clients are now active in the UK, investing, scaling and partnering with the country’s leading financial institutions. Today’s ceremony coincided with significant announcements from four Irish firms addressing pressing UK market needs:
Version 1, Ireland’s largest home-grown technology company, will mark its 30th anniversary in 2026 and continues to deliver on its major announcement of 1,000 UK AI-related jobs and a £40m investment programme. Recently its collaboration with NatWest to embed responsible AI governance across the organisation won “Best Data Governance with AI Initiative” at the DataIQ awards.
Fenergo, the global leader in client lifecycle management, currently employ 35 people in the UK and will 10-15 new UK roles over the next year.
CWSI, a leading Irish cyber security provider today announced a strategic partnership with Bristol based Changing Social, an AI Workplace Transformation consultancy. The collaboration is expected to generate revenues in excess of $40m in the next 24 months across Licencing, Consultancy and Associated Services. Together, the two Microsoft partners will help organisations unlock the productivity and innovation potential of Microsoft Copilot and other AI-driven technologies without compromising on security, compliance, or control.
Clear Strategy, a leading Irish data and AI consultancy, is expanding from 34 to 50 specialists in the coming quarter as it grows its UK presence and launches ‘Tempo’, its reference data management solution, into the UK market.
ID-Pal, the global leader in AI-powered identity verification, has unveiled the latest enhancements to its fraud detection feature, ID-Detect. Fresh off winning Biometric Authentication Innovation of the Year at the 2025 Payments Awards, ID-Detect’s authentication engine identifies signs of digital manipulation and the markers of AI-driven document fraud. Recent results include preventing fraud valued at +£3m for car-financing platform Finset.
Kevin Sherry, executive director, Enterprise Ireland, added: “The UK is Ireland’s largest country export market and a strategic priority for Irish tech, financial services and fintech companies. We are laser-focused on forging high-value business connections and supporting Irish firms to enter, scale and invest in the UK.
“The global financial industry faces a number of mounting pressures – regulatory complexity, escalating cyber and fraud risks, green compliance, data silos and AI bias. Irish firms are building world class customer solutions that are agile, scalable, and secure. They’re helping UK institutions navigate regulatory complexity, unlock new efficiencies, and stay competitive in a fast-moving landscape.”
Hosting the Irish delegation at the London Stock Exchange today, Dame Julia Hoggett, CEO of the London Stock Exchange said: “Today has been a historic day. We are delighted to have welcomed Minister Robert Troy, the first Irish government minister to open our markets, alongside Enterprise Ireland and some of Ireland’s most innovative companies. This celebration reflects the long-standing and important ties between the financial services industries of the UK and Ireland.”
The UK market is the largest country export market for Enterprise Ireland backed client companies. In 2024, 29% of total client exports, valued at €10.52bn, went to the UK and representing a 4% increase on 2023. Tech, financial services and business services exports to the UK accounted for €1.2bn in 2024, with tech increasing by 12% and fintech increasing by 5% on the previous year.
Ireland Day at the London Stock Exchange will conclude with a dinner reception at the Irish Embassy in London, hosted by the Ambassador to Great Britain, Martin Fraser, attended by close to 100 senior leaders from across the UK and Ireland’s financial services industry.
Irish companies participating in Ireland Day at the London Stock Exchange, included: Binarii Labs, Clear Strategy, CWSI, Daon, Fenergo, Fexco, Fund Recs, ID Pal, and Tines.