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The UK technology sector has attracted more investment from the United States and Asia in the first seven months of this year than in the past year.
Japan and Singapore are the biggest Asian investors in British technology, ahead of China, according to figures from the Digital Economy Council and the Tech Nation show in the UK.
Industry players say the lower valuations in the UK because of the pound are attracting investors in the sector.
The pound is currently trading at its lowest level in two years against the dollar.
Increasingly, UK companies are also heading to Asia to raise capital.
"I've seen many more applications from UK start-ups leveraging capital funding from Asian markets compared to last year," says Aditya Mathur, founder and general manager of the venture capital fund based in New York. Singapore elev8.vc.
"They generally want to have access to the Asian market, vast and diverse, and need an Asian investor to help them understand these markets and provide the kind of financing they are looking for."
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British tech companies are also offering Asian investors a way to protect themselves against the trade war, badysts said.
"Foreign investment in the US and Chinese technology sectors has decreased due to the trade war and the multiplicity of investment opportunities offered by Europe," said Yoram Wijngaarde, founder and head of the management of Dealroom, the company that gathered the research figures.
"The UK offers an interesting opportunity for funds seeking to increase their investments."
UK financial and financial sector companies were among the most attractive
US and Asian investment in the UK technology sector totals $ 3.7 billion (£ 3.02 billion, € 3.31 million) so far this year. This compares with $ 2.9 billion for the whole of last year.
In total, Asia invested $ 1.8 billion in the UK technology sector in the first half of this year, up from $ 0.6 billion the year before.
Companies in the UK financial and financial sector are among those most interested in Asian investors.
In May, the Japanese bank Softbank acquired a $ 800 million stake in the UK company Greensill, which provides short-term business loans to help them with their business needs.
Softbank and the Singapore-based group Clermont also invested $ 400 million in the UK-based OakNorth Bank, an all-digital bank offering loans to small and medium-sized businesses.
And the Japanese company Mitsubishi Corporation has spent $ 220 million to acquire a 20% stake in the British utility company Ovo Energy.
Still, the United States is by far the biggest investor in the technology sector in the UK, according to figures, with investments worth $ 2 billion so far this year.
Online food delivery companies such as Deliveroo and digital payment solutions platforms are among the areas that have attracted the attention of US investors.
"Investor confidence"
"The figures released today demonstrate investor confidence in the British technology sector," said Natalie Black, UK Trade Commissioner for Asia-Pacific.
"By attracting a larger number of investors, especially Asian, we show that the UK technology sector is one of the most competitive in the world, with a bright and stable future."
Nevertheless, concerns over the impact of Brexit on the UK's talent pool are of concern to investors and businesses, who fear that the UK will experience a brain drain if US citizens do not know it. EU are not able to work in the United Kingdom in case of non-agreement. Brexit.
"This is our biggest concern at the moment," said Russ Shaw, founder of Tech London Advocates, a campaign group promoting the technology sector in London.
"One in five technology workers in London is from the EU We are developing these businesses and money in between, but we do not have enough talent in the country.
"We need a transition plan for companies that need to know what to do about staffing after October 31. Otherwise, it would undermine our credibility."
Mr Shaw said the UK could mitigate these risks by making the process of migrating workers abroad easier and more welcoming in the future.
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