Welsh businesses are being given a new platform to build commercial relationships with Ireland as the British Irish Chamber of Commerce establishes a permanent Welsh Chapter.
The move could provide businesses on both sides of the Irish Sea with a stronger network through which to identify investment opportunities, develop partnerships and increase trade between the two economies.
The new chapter was launched at an event hosted by Browne Jacobson at its Cardiff offices, attended by business leaders and policymakers and featuring a keynote address from First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth MS.
Its arrival comes at a significant point in the Wales-Ireland economic relationship.
Latest Welsh Government figures show that Ireland was the third-largest destination for Welsh goods exports in the year ending June 2026, behind Germany and the United States.
Welsh goods exports to Ireland were worth £2.5 billion, compared with £2.3 billion in the year to March 2026.
The opportunity now is to turn those existing trading links into deeper business relationships spanning investment, innovation, energy, professional services and other areas where the two economies share strengths.
The Welsh Government and Irish Government have already identified deeper economic collaboration and increased trade and inward investment in both directions as priorities under the Ireland-Wales Shared Statement 2030.
The British Irish Chamber’s decision to establish a dedicated presence in Wales potentially adds another route for businesses to turn those ambitions into commercial opportunities.
The Chamber describes itself as a focal point for British-Irish business and has members spanning sectors including financial and professional services, infrastructure, energy, higher education, technology and agri-food.
Speaking at the launch, First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth MS said:
“Wales and Ireland have strong economic connections, with around 85 Irish owned companies investing £31 Million in Wales last year, complementing our own strengths in sectors such as financial services, compound semi-conductors and cyber security.
“Dublin was my first overseas visit since becoming First Minister in May and I look forward to building ever-closer ties with Ireland, including through our shared economic interests. Wales’s new chapter of the British-Irish Chamber of Commerce will play an important role in making the links between our two nations even stronger in the coming years.”
The relationship is about more than exports.
Geographical proximity, established ferry and port connections and longstanding cultural links give Wales a potentially important position in the movement of people, goods, investment and expertise between Ireland and Great Britain.
The Ireland-Wales Shared Statement specifically identifies ferry connections and seaports as essential links for goods moving between Ireland, Wales, Great Britain and wider European markets.
The establishment of the Welsh Chapter creates an opportunity to build more structured business networks around that connectivity.
Helen McEntee TD, Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, said:
“I welcome the launch of the Welsh Chapter of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce. The British Irish Chamber of Commerce has done tremendous work in building the bilateral trade relationship between the United Kingdom and Ireland.
“The Ireland-Wales relationship has deepened in recent years, and the Ireland-Wales Shared Statement 2023 outlines our planned cooperation up to the end of the decade. One area of particular focus is advancing our economic & trade links; the establishment of the Welsh Chapter further assists our Governments to achieve this commitment.”
For Welsh businesses, the development potentially creates another gateway into a neighbouring European market that already buys billions of pounds of goods from Wales.
It could also make it easier for Irish businesses considering investment in Wales to identify partners, professional advisers and commercial opportunities.
Browne Jacobson, which hosted the launch, operates from Cardiff, Belfast and Dublin.
Tim Edds, Partner and Head of Cardiff at Browne Jacobson LLP, said:
“We are proud to host the launch of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce’s Welsh Chapter.
“As a firm uniquely embedded at both ends of the Welsh-Irish trade corridor via our offices in Cardiff, Belfast and Dublin, we can understand the importance of having this kind of institutional platform to build and support trade relationships, across these islands, act as a collective voice and develop new economic opportunities across high-growth sectors such as green energy and life sciences.”
Jeanne Kelly, Partner and Co-Founder of Browne Jacobson’s Dublin office, added:
“As both a co-founder of our Irish office, and a board member and past President of British Irish Chamber of Commerce, it is personally rewarding to welcome this expansion and we thank Paul, Cillian and their team for their ongoing support of this initiative.”
The launch comes as the economic relationship between Wales and Ireland is already strengthening.
Welsh goods exports overall reached £20 billion in the year ending June 2026, with 58.3% destined for EU countries. Ireland alone accounted for £2.5 billion, placing it firmly among Wales’ most significant international markets.
The challenge for the new Welsh Chapter will now be to build on those numbers by creating the business-to-business relationships that can generate the next wave of trade, investment and collaboration across the Irish Sea.
