New American-British trade deal benefits cities from London to Atlanta

It is also my job to showcase the U.K. to U.S. audiences and to encourage U.S. companies, organizations, students and tourists to continue to think of the U.K. first when looking across the Atlantic.

The U.S. is the U.K.’s largest trading partner. We support more jobs in the U.S. than any other country in the world, with more than 1.2 million Americans going to work every day for British enterprises.

This speaks to a wider truth: Our two nations are close allies with shared histories and intertwined futures. That’s why the U.K.’s 10-year Modern Industrial Strategy, launched recently, is a fantastic opportunity for U.S. businesses, especially here in Georgia.

Peach State is a leader in key economic sectors

Credit: hand

Credit: hand

The U.K. is embarking on an ambitious and overdue economic renewal. We aim to deliver the highest sustained growth in the G7 — the Group of Seven leading industrial nations —creating jobs and driving up living standards across every part of the U.K.

Our new strategy is intended to back up words with action. Whether you’re an innovator in clean energy, a fintech disruptor or a scaling life sciences business, our strategy can support you, not just today but for the long term.

Recently, our two countries agreed to a landmark trade deal, which alongside this new plan, will create unprecedented opportunities for U.S. businesses to thrive in the U.K. and beyond. In 2024, the U.S. was the U.K.’s top export market with a value of $269 billion. The new industrial strategy will make us an even better place to invest. It empowers regional authorities across the breadth of the U.K. marketplace that will help re-energize local industries.

It focuses on eight sectors:

Expect Ga.’s fintech and payments ecosystem to soar

Plans for each of these sectors have been co-developed with business, with clear commitments from both government and industry based around shared priorities — creating a model for cross-border business engagement that could benefit U.S.-U.K. trade relations.

Take clean energy, where the U.K. is one of the world’s most important markets, attracting over $3 billion of clean tech investment in 2023. We rank sixth in the world and third in Europe in the EY Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index. For Georgia renewable companies looking to grow their business overseas, the U.K. commitment to achieving at least 95% clean power by 2030 presents a generational opportunity to break into the market.

On financial and professional services, the U.K. is one of the world’s most important markets, contributing over $500 billion a year to the U.K. economy. London ranks second to New York in the Global Financial Centres Index while the U.K. fintech sector receives more investment than the next 28 European countries combined.

The U.K. Government’s commitment to financial services presents an opportunity for Atlanta’s thriving fintech and payments ecosystem to deepen its already strong ties with the city. Bringing these two important financial centers closer together will turbocharge fintech growth in both Georgia and U.K. Just like the many Atlanta law firms that have moved into London, it is striking how many Georgia payments businesses have seen success expanding in the U.K. And it’s a two-way street with several U.K. companies successfully entering the US market through Atlanta.

Every business leader or politician I meet in Georgia emphasises the importance of access to talent and skills. The U.K. is addressing this through a range of initiatives, and we can learn from Georgia’s commitment to investing in talent through programmes such as Georgia Quick Start, ensuring people have the right skills for industries of the future.

Speaking of talent, the Consulate’s dedicated business and trade team is at your service to make it easier, faster and more stable for international firms to do business in the UK and/or invest and grow in, your number one partner across the pond. We look forward to hearing from you.

Rachel Galloway is the British consul general in Atlanta and the United Kingdom government’s most senior representative in the southeastern United States.