Hong Kong draws growing interest from Irish firms seeking expansion across Asia

More Irish companies are considering Hong Kong as a base for expansion across Asia, according to the head of the country’s chamber of commerce in the city, who described the two as “natural partners”.

Padraig Seif, president of the Irish Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, said momentum was building ahead of the Asia-Pacific Irish Business Forum as Irish firms increasingly looked to Asia amid Washington’s tariff policy and the lingering effects of Brexit.

“What we’ve seen is … Asia and Hong Kong in particular were really a hard sell previously. People were not interested,” Seif told the South China Morning Post in an exclusive interview ahead of the forum.

“I believe that it’s perfect timing for Irish businesses being more open for this area of the world, for this area of the world looking for business opportunities into Europe and taking a look at Ireland for that, but also providing opportunities for regional Irish businesses to do more business with Hong Kong.”

The two-day forum, which begins on November 19, coincides with the city’s hosting of the Asian Gaelic Games. It is expected to draw about 200 attendees from across the region for discussions covering sectors including finance, aviation and pharmaceuticals.

Government representatives from Ireland and Hong Kong are also expected to attend, with Ireland’s ambassador to China, Nicholas O’Brien, set to deliver opening remarks.

Seif said the forum would serve an “educational” purpose alongside promoting business and trade between the two jurisdictions.

He added that many people in Asia remained unaware that Ireland had become a leading hub for technology giants, medical science companies and financial services.

“It’s not only a green field with cows on it,” he said. “The vast majority of exports from Ireland to this part of the world are electronics and pharmaceuticals and optical products, high-value items.”

Seif described Hong Kong and Ireland as “natural partners”, citing their shared use of English, common law systems and low-tax policies.

“If you’re coming from Hong Kong, Ireland is ‘plug-and-play’,” he said, referring to a device or software that works as soon as it is connected.

Ireland’s commercial presence in Hong Kong remains relatively limited compared with that of its Western peers. Many of the country’s biggest companies, including the Bank of Ireland, have no presence in the city.

But there are signs of change.

Seif said the chamber’s individual membership had risen from 30 to 123 over the past three years, while corporate membership had grown from three to 14.

Immigration Department figures showed that 1,715 Irish nationals were living in Hong Kong in September, up 25 per cent from the end of 2025, nine months earlier.

A source familiar with the Irish business community said about 35 businesses were active across the Greater Bay Area, which comprises Hong Kong, Macau and nine cities in Guangdong province.

The source added that many Irish firms that previously had offices in Hong Kong left during a wider corporate exodus amid the Covid-19 pandemic. But emerging opportunities in mainland China and attractive commercial rents were drawing their attention back to the city.

“They are all considering redeploying to Hong Kong,” the source said.

Among the forum’s speakers is Irish entrepreneur Patrick Malloney, who is establishing a Hong Kong presence for his health sciences company, P4ML.

The firm, which specialises in precision medicine and rare diseases, is part of a newborn screening consortium whose members include AstraZeneca subsidiary Alexion.

Malloney cited Hong Kong’s talent pool and its universities among his reasons for choosing the city, saying it had “some of the best universities to work with”.

Alongside establishing a base in Hong Kong, he is seeking Series A funding for the company and considering a potential initial public offering on the city’s stock exchange.

“This isn’t me just coming in to shake hands and look good. This is me coming in saying I can relocate to Hong Kong … and create jobs that bring value to the economy,” he said.

Specialist auditing firm Valaston also recently marked the official opening of its first Hong Kong office.

Founded in 2007, the firm focuses exclusively on the asset management industry and, as well as Ireland, has offices in the Netherlands, the Cayman Islands, Singapore and the UK.

Paul Kinsella, a partner at the firm, said growing interest in Hong Kong fund structures, together with recent tax and regulatory developments, had made the city an “increasingly attractive base” for asset managers.

“For a professional services firm like ourselves, the decision is built around where our clients are,” he said.

“We felt the time was right to move from servicing the market primarily from elsewhere to making a proper long-term commitment here.”