Wales is a nation with a large footprint. In an era of global competition, supply chain shocks and the race to net zero, it has become one of the UK’s most agile, collaborative and opportunity‑rich locations for investors who want both strong returns and long‑term resilience. This is a country where advanced manufacturing, cutting‑edge tech, clean energy and financial services share one joined‑up ambition: to make Wales the place of choice for producing sustainable goods and services for the world.
What sets Wales apart is focus. Devolved government, short lines to decision‑makers and a distinctive “Team Wales” culture mean investors can move quickly, plug into established clusters and work with partners who understand that growth, decarbonisation and community impact must all be delivered together.
Government, industry and academia collaborate across sectors, so advanced manufacturing, tech, clean energy and services reinforce each other rather than operating in silos. From the first conversation to a full‑scale project, the experience is designed to feel close, practical and solution‑driven, in essence, exactly what global businesses are looking for.
Why Wales?
Investors entering Wales find an environment built around clarity, speed and partnership. Decisions are made close to the ground, with ministers, agencies and industry leaders all within easy reach and focused on removing barriers to doing business.
Devolution gives Wales control over key levers such as planning, skills, apprenticeships and elements of infrastructure, allowing support to be tailored around priority sectors and specific investments. For an overseas manufacturer, a scaling tech company or an infrastructure investor, that means direct access to the people who can align policy, funding and regulatory pathways with project timelines. Crucially, those levers are deployed through joined‑up teams that bring together ministers, agencies, universities and business leaders around specific projects, giving investors a coherent offer rather than isolated initiatives.
Making things that matter
Wales’ investment story is anchored in a set of sectors that combine deep expertise with strong future demand. At their core is advanced manufacturing and high‑value engineering, built around decades of delivery. Aerospace, automotive, MedTech, defence and precision electronics all have established footprints, supported by major employers and specialised SMEs that ‘make things that matter’ …from aircraft wings to smart phone components.
Complementing this industrial strength are its enabling sectors. Wales is recognised as a global hub for compound semiconductors, with a cluster model that brings together research, fabrication, design and packaging in one ecosystem. Its tech and fintech communities are growing fast, driven by ambitious companies, dedicated hubs and a national focus on digital innovation. Clean energy, life sciences, creative industries and agri‑tech add further breadth, giving investors a diversified, resilient base that can weather market cycles and open new markets.
Advanced manufacturing, defence and space
Manufacturing has always been part of Wales’ DNA, but the offer to investors today is firmly about the next industrial revolution. High‑value manufacturing (HVM) here is increasingly automated, data‑rich and decarbonised, with companies modernising plants, adopting advanced materials and integrating AI and robotics into production. Clusters around automotive electrification, MedTech devices, construction products and specialist steels give investors access to experienced workforces and established supplier networks.
Defence and space are now central to that story. Wales is home to strategic defence activity spanning aerospace, advanced materials, cyber and secure communications, with test ranges, primes and SMEs working side by side. In the space sector, new entrants are designing and building satellites, components and in‑orbit manufacturing technologies from Welsh bases, often in close proximity to compound semiconductor and advanced electronics expertise. For investors, that co‑location means faster innovation cycles, shared infrastructure and a ready‑made ecosystem for dual‑use technologies.
Tech, fintech and enabling innovation
Technology and financial services in Wales have moved far beyond back‑office functions. Today, they are part of a dynamic digital economy where software, data and financial innovation underpin everything from consumer apps to major infrastructure projects. Fintech companies are building platforms in payments, insurance, lending and open banking, supported by networks that bring together founders, incumbents and investors around a clear growth plan for the sector.
These capabilities are deeply interwoven with other industries. Digital twins for manufacturing and energy, AI‑enabled diagnostics for healthcare, and data‑driven tools for net‑zero planning are being developed and deployed from Welsh locations. Investors in tech or fintech can therefore access not just a pool of engineers and product talent, but also real‑world testbeds in factories, hospitals, ports and cities, where technology can be proven, scaled and exported.
Clean energy and the net zero industrial transition
Wales already acts as a critical gateway for power and fuels and as a cornerstone of industrial production. Ben Burggraaf, CEO of Net Zero Industry Wales, says, “We want to position Wales as a leading clean energy transition hub. Wales is already playing a vital role in energy security for the UK and beyond.” Ports, refineries and power stations in West and South Wales handle a significant share of national energy flows, while industrial clusters manufacture steel, chemicals, construction materials and other energy‑intensive products that keep supply chains moving. That legacy now underpins an ambitious shift to a low‑carbon future.
The green transition in Wales is being designed and coordinated with industry at its centre. A pan‑Wales approach to decarbonising heavy industry, transport and heat is bringing together major emitters, infrastructure operators, government and academia to map out pathways to net zero and turn them into investable projects. For investors, the attraction is twofold: the opportunity to deploy capital into large‑scale clean energy generation (such as offshore wind, hydrogen, storage and carbon capture) and the chance to back the industrial users and technologies that will turn that clean energy into high‑value goods, exports and real-world jobs over the long term.
Life sciences, health and digital health
Life sciences and health innovation in Wales are powered by a distinctive mix of research excellence, integrated healthcare and industry collaboration. Universities and research institutes in the country produce globally recognised work in areas such as oncology, diagnostics, pharmaceuticals and data‑driven medicine. At the same time, a joined‑up health service and specialist hubs give companies access to real‑world clinical settings where they can pilot new treatments, devices and digital tools with patients and clinicians.
This combination has proven highly attractive to both high‑growth start‑ups and multinational healthcare companies. Data‑rich clinical trials, remote monitoring platforms, novel diagnostics and manufacturing for complex therapies are being developed and scaled from Welsh locations. Here, is a life sciences ecosystem where investors can find opportunities across the value chain; from early‑stage innovation to scale up ready companies that already have regulatory approvals, partnerships and revenues in place.
Skills, talent and academic collaboration
Wales addresses access to skills through a deliberate alignment between education, industry and government. Universities and further education colleges work with employers to design courses, apprenticeships and research programmes that match real demand, from advanced engineering and data science to healthcare and creative disciplines. Many companies co‑develop curricula, offer placements or invest in their own in‑house academies and training centres to secure the talent they need.
Crucially, Wales’ talent pool is not limited by its own borders. While there is a strong focus on growing and retaining home‑grown graduates, businesses also benefit from wider regional labour markets that link into major city regions in England. This gives investors a realistic, flexible picture: a core of committed local talent, reinforced by the ability to attract and retain skilled people from surrounding innovation corridors. Combined with quality of life, shorter commutes and a strong sense of place, this makes Wales an appealing base for people at all stages of their careers.
R&D, clusters and co‑location
Research and development in Wales happens in clusters where universities, Catapults, innovation centres and businesses share facilities, ideas and infrastructure. In sectors such as compound semiconductors, net zero industry, life sciences and fintech, organisations are deliberately co‑located so that knowledge flows quickly and partnerships can form with minimal friction. Investors entering these clusters gain access not only to individual companies, but to networks of collaborators and supply chains.
This cluster model delivers concrete advantages. Shared testbeds, demonstrators and pilot lines allow new technologies to be proven at lower cost and risk. Joint bids for UK and international funding bring additional resources into the ecosystem. Informal networks, from founder meet‑ups to cross‑sector working groups, mean new entrants can get warm introductions, practical mentoring and clear signposts to opportunities. For investors, this translates into more investable propositions, better due diligence and a higher likelihood that funded innovations can reach the market at pace.
Finance, funding and incentives
Wales’ financial support system is intentionally designed to be comprehensive and easy to navigate. Alongside commercial banks and private investors, there is a dedicated national development institution providing loans and equity finance across the full business lifecycle, from start‑up to scale‑up, succession and major property or infrastructure projects. Its approach is deliberately flexible and relationship‑driven, with teams based across Wales and a strong emphasis on tailoring finance to the needs of each company rather than pushing standard products. As Rhian Elston, Investment Director for Wales at the Development Bank of Wales, puts it, “I would really describe doing business in Wales as globally competitive but absolutely locally embedded. We work hard as an ecosystem across Wales to make sure that we complement the offering to Welsh businesses and we really maximise the impact that we can have as a collective rather than trying to compete or overlap on each other's provisions.”
Crucially, this is only one part of the funding landscape. Businesses in Wales can also draw on UK‑level programmes, regional funds, specialist green finance products and targeted initiatives that crowd in private capital. Freeports and Investment Zones add further tools for investors, offering tax advantages, streamlined planning and infrastructure investment in key locations, often linked to ports, industrial clusters or innovation hubs. The net effect is a funding environment where public and private capital work together, de‑risking projects and signalling long‑term commitment to growth.
Regions and the whole‑Wales opportunity
The Welsh proposition is genuinely national. In North Wales, advanced manufacturing, energy and tourism sit alongside high‑value agriculture and growing technology and life sciences activity, all supported by strategic transport links into the North West of England and beyond. Deeside, Wrexham and coastal areas host significant industrial and logistics assets, while innovation centres and colleges feed local skills pipelines.
In the South, the Cardiff Capital Region and the Swansea Bay area offer dense urban markets, major universities and a concentration of financial services, digital, media and creative industries. Ports, industrial estates and business parks provide a platform for manufacturing, clean energy and logistics, while city‑region deals and regeneration programmes continue to enhance infrastructure and liveability. West Wales, anchored by its ports and energy assets, is at the forefront of the renewables and net‑zero story, with new projects in wind, hydrogen and storage building on existing strengths.
Mid Wales is increasingly important as a bridge between these regions. It offers space, natural assets and communities that are central to the future of onshore renewables, nature‑based solutions, rural innovation and dispersed manufacturing and services. With better digital connectivity, new workspaces and targeted investment, Mid Wales is becoming an attractive option for businesses that want access to the whole UK market while enjoying the benefits of a more rural setting.
Enabling technologies across the economy
Underpinning Wales’ sector strengths are a set of enabling technologies that cut across the economy. Cyber security, big data analytics, artificial intelligence and advanced electronics are viewed as the engines of transformation in manufacturing, health, energy, transport and the public sector. Companies here are building secure digital platforms, AI‑driven tools and sensor‑rich hardware that make factories smarter, grids more efficient and health systems more personalised.
For investors, this means opportunities are rarely siloed. By backing enabling technologies in Wales, investors are effectively buying into a set of horizontal capabilities that support vertical growth in multiple industries.
A practical, partnership‑led business environment
Government, agencies, universities, clusters, financiers and businesses tend to view themselves as part of a shared endeavour whether competitors or customers. This manifests in simple but powerful ways: joint visits to sites, co‑ordinated support packages, and a willingness among experienced founders and executives to mentor newcomers or join boards as non‑executives. Russell Greenslade, Director for Wales at CBI, describes it as “a true team effort between business and government. The government do an awful lot here in Wales and businesses support that, but we also work with the pipeline of skills and opportunities we have here in all different sectors as well, working with HE and FE – and that's a big, big USP for Wales as well.”
This culture is backed up by practical reforms. Planning and consenting processes are constantly being modernised with direct input from business, skills programmes are shaped around employer needs, and initiatives to improve access to finance are continually refined in response to feedback from companies on the ground. For investors, this reduces friction and ambiguity.
Wales: open for investment, ready to deliver
The world is entering a decisive decade. Investors are searching for locations that can deliver stable returns, help achieve net‑zero targets, support innovation and create long‑term value for communities. Wales is positioned to do all of these. It powers a significant share of the UK’s energy needs, remains a cornerstone of its industrial base, and is rapidly growing its capabilities in digital, finance, life sciences and creative industries.
For investors, the invitation is clear. Wales offers a rare combination: ambitious sectors, deep specialist clusters, a responsive government, a rich mix of finance and incentives, and a collaborative culture that makes it easier to do business. This is a nation that is ready to work at pace, share risk and celebrate success. Wales is open for business and open for partnership with investors who want to help shape the next chapter of its story
