California tech company to create 150 jobs in Belfast

A Silicon Valley based high-tech company that specialises in protecting businesses from online fraud is to develop a new research and development (R&D) centre in Northern Ireland, which is expected to create 150 jobs.

California-headquartered Signifyd, which was founded by former PayPal and FedEx employees, said the company’s first investment in Northern Ireland would help expand its European operations.

According to Raj Ramanand, co-founder and chief executive of the US company, it had explored a number of potential investment locations before deciding on Belfast.

Talent pool

“As we studied different locations to expand our engineering footprint, Belfast stood out for its talent pool and its proximity to better service our European customers.

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“We are based right here in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter and look forward to building a world-class team to lead our innovation and help our customers provide the kind of shopping experiences today’s consumers expect,” Mr Ramanand added.

Signifyd states its mission is to “make commerce safer for online retailers” and claims its technology provides “a 100 per cent financial guarantee against fraud on approved orders”.

The US company believes its new Belfast R&D centre will help to broaden the company’s European presence and support its global ambitions.

Financial support

It plans to “rapidly build a team from the ground up” in Northern Ireland and is currently recruiting for “software engineering, data, risk and fraud analytics, along with customer success positions”.

The North’s regional business development agency is supporting Signifyd’s investment project with £981,500 (€1.1 million) of financial support.

Alastair Hamilton, chief executive of Invest Northern Ireland, said: "The addition of Signifyd to the payment technology sector in Northern Ireland is very welcome. This investment will contribute nearly £5 million (€5.7 million) in annual salaries to the local economy."