On 9 September 2026, the 10th UK-U.S. SME Dialogue was held in
Cardiff, Wales with over 80 UK and U.S. small and medium-sized
businesses and business organisations participating.
The Dialogue is convened by the UK Department for Business,
Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) with the Office of the
United States Trade Representative (USTR), the U.S. Department of
Commerce, and the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The event opened with remarks from Graham Floater, UK Director of
US Strategy and Negotiations, BIST and Bryant Trick, Assistant
U.S. Trade Representative for Europe and the Middle East, USTR
who have negotiated the UK-U.S. Economic Prosperity Deal.
Additional comments were provided by Bradley McKinney, Deputy
Assistant Secretary, U.S. Commercial Service, International Trade
Administration and , Deputy Director, Wales, BIST, who spoke about the
strength of the UK-U.S. relationship and the important role SMEs
play in driving trade, investment and growth.
SMEs are central to the UK-U.S. trading relationship, and the
Dialogue reflects the ongoing commitment from both countries to
supporting and enhancing UK-U.S. SME trade. This follows the
series of major trade deals negotiated under the UK-U.S. Economic
Prosperity Deal that has supported key industries with hundreds
of thousands of jobs across the United Kingdom. In 2025, the
UK-U.S. trade relationship was worth £332 billion, with £1.2
trillion invested in each other's economies at the end of 2024.
During the Dialogue, attendees discussed the opportunities and
obstacles to SME trade, SMEs and the future of manufacturing,
strengthening SME innovation in the digital and AI sectors, and
UK-U.S. SME supply chains and investment.
Wales is a nation of innovation, creativity, and enterprise, with
world-leading strengths in advanced manufacturing capability in
aerospace and defence, home to the world's first compound
semiconductors cluster, pioneering life sciences, renewable
energy, and the creative industries, making it one of the most
exciting places in the UK to do business and trade
internationally.
We know that SMEs play a huge part in spurring local economies.
That's why we are committed to working together to forge closer
trade and investment ties with the U.S. and taking practical
steps to enable our two countries to do business with each other
more easily.
Sources:
