Northern Ireland family-owned healthcare tests firm set for international growth thanks to £1.7million backing

Ballymena diagnostics company CIGA Healthcare is continuing to expand into international markets thanks to £1.7 million backing from HSBC UK. Pictured is Irwin Armstrong, CEO at CIGA Healthcareplaceholder image
Ballymena diagnostics company CIGA Healthcare is continuing to expand into international markets thanks to £1.7 million backing from HSBC UK. Pictured is Irwin Armstrong, CEO at CIGA Healthcare

Ballymena’s CIGA Healthcare will use HSBC UK’s support to help extend its sales of rapid test kits into new markets including India, Japan and Korea

A family-owned diagnostics company is continuing to expand into international markets thanks to £1.7 million backing from HSBC UK.

Ballymena-based CIGA Healthcare, which supplies a wide range of over-the-counter & professional tests to pharmacies and health services, will use the bank’s support to help extend its sales of rapid test kits into new markets including India, Japan and Korea.

The company, which has banked with HSBC UK since its inception in 2005, will also use the funding to help improve the cycle time of the tests – from manufacturing to supplying the 80 countries in which it already operates.

Ballymena diagnostics company CIGA Healthcare is continuing to expand into international markets thanks to £1.7 million backing from HSBC UK. Pictured is Irwin Armstrong, CEO at CIGA Healthcareplaceholder image
Ballymena diagnostics company CIGA Healthcare is continuing to expand into international markets thanks to £1.7 million backing from HSBC UK. Pictured is Irwin Armstrong, CEO at CIGA Healthcare
placeholder image
Read More
Northern Ireland software firm honours Belfast tech leader with new QUB student ...

Irwin Armstrong, CEO at CIGA Healthcare, said: “Through HSBC UK’s international footprint, we have been able to gain on the ground, local insight from each country we expand into, so the advice from the bank has really helped our international growth. We are grateful for the support from HSBC and we can’t wait to see where we go next!”

Lauren Dougherty, relationship director at HSBC Northern Ireland, added: “We have worked closely with CIGA Healthcare since it was founded and it has been brilliant to see it expand both its product lines and the countries that it supplies. We’re thrilled to continue supporting its expansion plans into new markets.”

News you can trust since 1737
Follow us
© 2026 Iconic Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice