Ireland Leads U.S. to a Pot of Gold Ahead of St. Patrick’s Day

By W.B. King

As Irish Prime Minister Taoiseach Micheál Martin prepares for meetings and events linked to week-long St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Washington, D.C., he noted: “Irish investment in the United States has reached historic levels.”

Enterprise Ireland announced that the Emerald Isle is now the fifth largest investor in the U.S., with recent figures exceeding $389 billion. With offices in New York, the Dublin-based government trade and innovation agency helps businesses become global leaders. Among sectors supported are digital technology and fintech services.

Additionally, in 2024, the agency stated that Ireland was the largest source of new investment spending in the United States, accounting for more than $30 billion, adding that the top 10 Irish investors in the U.S. employ more than 125,000 people in the U.S.

“Reflecting a partnership that is more than just a series of trade figures – it is a deeply embedded, two-way relationship that provides immense benefit to both the Irish and American economies,” Martin said of the work Ireland’s doing in the U.S. “Irish companies are not mere exporters; they are resilient partners, revitalizing regional heartlands of America and a driver of the next wave of industrial and technology innovation.”

Sláinte!

In 2026, Enterprise Ireland will host over 70 events across 32 cities globally, with 34 events in the U.S. alone, connecting Irish companies with global customers, partners, and investors—a good reason to raise a pint in celebration.

In a recent report, A Partnership that Delivers—US-Ireland Business 2026 by the American Chamber of Commerce (Ireland), Andrew McIntyre, head of corporate M&A at William Fry, explained that fintech and regtech solutions are reshaping financial services, creating opportunities for efficiency and transparency in cross-border transactions.

“These priorities are reflected in recent IDA Ireland figures, which show that the pipeline for U.S. investment remains robust, accounting for 60 to 65% of new projects in sectors such as technology, life sciences, fintech and emerging technologies,” he noted. William Fry is one of Ireland’s largest law firms. “Over 50 of these investments are from new entrants, underlining Ireland’s continuing attractiveness as a destination for next-generation investment.”

Transformative Technologies

According to Enterprise Ireland, the reason Irish companies are partnering with corporate America is straightforward:  to deliver transformative technologies. To this end, Irish firms provide U.S. businesses with a distinct global edge in the following ways:

• Tines: Tines, the Irish founded intelligent workflow leader and “unicorn” valued at $1.1 billion, will create 100 new U.S. jobs over the next 12 months, a 42% increase in its American headcount of 237 employees in the U.S. Co-headquartered in Boston and Dublin, Tines powers the most important workflows for major enterprises like Canva, Coinbase, Databricks, Reddit and Mars, to operate more effectively, mitigate risk and reduce tech debt.

• Fexco: Fexco, a global leader in financial services and financial technology, has announced a multi-million Euro investment in payUnite, its next-generation payments orchestration platform. payUnite, which already processes more than $20 billion annually and serves over 40% of the global cruise market, is now expanding into the broader U.S. hospitality, airline, and retail sectors. Fexco is also investing in agentic commerce capabilities to deliver the next generation of digital payments products.

• Workhuman: Co-headquartered in Massachusetts, its cloud-based platform engages seven million employees globally, helping U.S. Fortune 500 clients enhance retention and culture.

• Midland Steel: Its modular technology, deployed via a partnership with Nucor, the largest steel producer in the U.S. reduces onsite build times by 75%.

  
  

“Our mission is to support Irish companies as they bring transformative technologies to the U.S. market, innovations that are driving real operational efficiencies for Corporate America. Today's milestones are a powerful illustration of that ambition,” said Jenny Melia, CEO of Enterprise Ireland. “These announcements represent a new generation of Irish enterprise: agile, innovative, and deeply committed to delivering a competitive edge for their U.S. partners."