The City of Atlanta announced today that the Mayor’s Office of International Affairs, along with Invest Atlanta, the Metro Atlanta Chamber, Georgia Department of Economic Development and the United Kingdom Trade & Investment office, are traveling to London from February 7-12, 2016 to encourage foreign direct investment in the metropolitan Atlanta region. Seven Atlanta-based financial technology firms are represented on the trade mission and will work to identify and grow their export opportunities with the world’s largest FinTech economy.

“With a combined financial technology market worth more than $60 billion, the City of Atlanta and the United Kingdom are FinTech hubs in their respective regions,” said Mayor Kasim Reed. “More than 70 percent of all U.S. payments are processed in Atlanta each year. There is tremendous potential for increased trade and investment between Atlanta and London and we look forward to strengthening our ties in the industry.”

“Financial technology companies thrive in Atlanta, and our strong and diverse workforce make our city attractive to established companies,” said Claire Angelle, Director of the Mayor’s Office of International Affairs. “Currently, Atlanta is home to companies such as InComm, Equifax, Elavon, InterContinental Exchange, Worldpay US, Sage US, NCR and Cielo. We hope this mission encourages additional companies to consider Atlanta as their home.”

Global investments in the financial technology sector have tripled from $4.05 billion in 2013 to $12.21 billion in 2014 in the United States. The United Kingdom serves as Georgia’s fourth largest export market and will be a key focus in global expansion within the financial technology industry.

“One of Invest Atlanta’s targeted clusters for growth is within the Financial Technology sector,” stated Dr. Eloisa Klementich, CEcD, President and CEO of Invest Atlanta. “By leveraging strategic partnerships and growing this industry sector, we will be able to market Atlanta as the operational hub-of-choice for FinTech companies, creating new opportunities and jobs within our community.”

Throughout the week, the delegation will meet with industry leaders, participate in pitching sessions showcasing what the City of Atlanta has to offer businesses, and explore opportunities to learn best practices surrounding European market entry and attendance to FinovateEurope 2016, a leading FinTech trade show.