Lightyear, a specialist in the accounts payable and procurement sector, is establishing its international base in Belfast, creating up to 15 new jobs.
Local brothers Chris and Roger Gregg founded the global software company and have decided that Belfast’s “emergence as a leading innovation hub for fintech”, alongside Invest NI’s support, has persuaded them to bring their work home to Catalyst’s Innovation Centre in the Titanic Quarter.
Lightyear received £118,000 in support towards its research and development activities.
Chris Gregg, Lightyear chief executive, said: “Belfast was the clear winner. The calibre of tech talent, particularly in the areas of AI and machine learning, is world-class. Belfast also offers a great entry point to the European and US markets and allows us to offer near 24/7 global support in partnership with our Australian office.
“Invest NI’s engagement convinced us that this was the right move. Being a Northern Ireland native, I am excited to support the local economy and create our next global success story from right here in Belfast.”
Alan Wilson, Invest NI’s director of international investment, added: “The company’s confidence in Northern Ireland is underpinned by the high level of fintech, software and DevOps skills available here.
“Lightyear may be our first fintech investment from Australia, but we will be exhibiting at Sibos 2018 in Sydney in October to make more Australians aware of Northern Ireland’s position as a top European location for high-value financial services investment.”