Bank of America intends to create up to 1,000 new jobs in the city, marking its first operation in Northern Ireland. Citigroup has also pledged investment across its UK sites, including a further commitment to growing its presence in Northern Ireland. The US firms, which also include PayPal and S&P Global, have announced the investments, worth more than £1.25 billion, ahead of President Donald Trump's state visit to the UK next week.

The opening of the new Bank of America facility is set to establish Belfast as "a key hub", reinforcing the city's position as a "centre of excellence for financial technology and security operations", the UK's Department for Business and Trade (DBT) said. The department added the investment is a "major milestone that underscores the region's growing role in global financial services". In 2023, the bank announced it would fund a three-year digital skills and employability programme, delivered by Belfast Met, for 600 people from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Last Saturday, a Bank of America spokesperson told BBC News NI there will be a "gradual build up" of its new Belfast operation. Recruitment for the first roles "will start soon" and the bank "will also shortly conclude on location", he added. Chief Executive Brian Moynihan said Bank of America was "pleased" to extend its investment in the UK "with the creation of a new Belfast operations facility to support our global business". "The early US-UK trade agreement that the president and the prime minister began discussing in February has provided the business community with the certainty and framework it needs to strengthen transatlantic commerce," he added in a statement. (BBC/ Getty Images)