Good News for Economy at Last

Last week I had the pleasure of accompanying US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on her various visits around Belfast. Some members of the media whilst loving the photos viewed the visit as a pat on the back or even an ego trip for the Secretary.

These people need to wake up and realise that someone in her position does not have time for such idle ego triping. And quite frankly who cares if there were boards on the Europa Hotel or not.

Today shows the real tangible benefits of having the attention of a US Secretary of State. The New York Stock Exchange is creating 400 jobs here in the coming years. Below is the welcome from our First and Deputy First Minister. Congratulations as well to Invest NI. This is the priority not these other irrelevancies.

"First Minister Peter Robinson, MP MLA, and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, MP MLA, today formally welcomed plans by NYSE Euronext (NYX) to expand the business operations of its NYSE Technologies division in Belfast.

Invest Northern Ireland will provide up to £9.6million to support the move of NYSE Technologies business operations into a new state-of-the-art development facility in 2010 and the creation of up to 400 new technology, operational and corporate jobs, which include 75 positions from a prior agreement, in the coming years.

NYSE Euronext recognises its operations in Belfast as a centre of excellence for the delivery of innovative technology solutions, specifically low latency messaging capabilities, data distribution and securities operations to serve its expanding global client base.

First Minister Rt. Hon Peter Robinson, MP MLA, said: “Today’s announcement that NYSE Euronext intends to expand its operations and staff in Belfast is yet another positive step forward by Invest NI in the growth of our local financial services sector, particularly at a time when global competition for such investment has never been higher. NYSE Technologies is an enterprise which works at the very core of the trading world, developing advanced software solutions for global trading markets.”

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, MP MLA, said: “No one should doubt the scale and significance of this expansion which is a major endorsement of our local talent, knowledge and infrastructure. It will also send a clear message to other potential investors when such a high profile institution decides to invest here. Over the past two years I, along with the First Minister and his predecessor have had an ongoing engagement with Duncan and his colleagues which we are delighted has led to this announcement.”

Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster said: “Having met with the company in New York in December, and more recently in Belfast, I am delighted to see this latest project come to fruition today. Following on from last year’s announcement at the US Investment Conference, through this latest expansion, NYSE Euronext’s commitment to Northern Ireland sends a strong message to other potential investors that this is an exceptional place to locate and grow a business.”

Duncan Niederauer, Chief Executive Officer, NYSE Euronext, said: "We welcome the opportunity to partner with Invest NI and to expand our presence in Belfast. Northern Ireland will become increasingly important to our global growth strategy and complement our technology centres in Paris and London. Together, these centres of excellence will enable us to effectively address the growing technology and trading needs of our customers and our company."

Stanley Young, Chief Executive Officer, NYSE Technologies and Co-Global Chief Information Officer, NYSE Euronext, added: "Our operation in Belfast has exceeded expectations for the delivery of advanced software solutions for our global clients. The calibre of people, combined with Invest NI’s support and the growing financial services and ICT sectors, fits extremely well with our business objectives."