View this article online: https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2020/09/25/584104.htm
New York again heads the rankings of the world’s leading global financial centres.
The Global Financial Centres Index 28, launched by London think tank Z/Yen Group in partnership with the China Development Institute (CDI), shows London improved its performance in second position, closing the gap on New York. London is now only four points behind the leader (27 points in GFCI 27).
GFCI 28 again shows a relatively high level of volatility, with 23 centres rising 10 or more places in the rankings and 20 falling 10 or more places.
Shanghai moved up one place to third and Tokyo dropped one place to fourth, although only one point separates them in the ratings. Similarly, Hong Kong moved up a place to rank fifth and Singapore fell one place to sixth, again with only one point separating Hong Kong and Singapore in the ratings.
Within the top 30 centres, Luxembourg, Boston, Seoul, and Madrid rose by more than five places. Shenzhen and Zurich entered the top 10, replacing Los Angeles and Geneva.
Overall, the average rating of centres in the index dropped over 41 points (6.25%) from GFCI 27, which the authors said may indicate a more general lack of confidence in finance during a time of continuing uncertainty around international trade, the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on individual economies, and geopolitical and local unrest.
All of the top 10 centres in the index increased their ratings in GFCI 28, reversing recent trends. Of the next 40 centres, 12 improved their rating while 27 fell. The authors believe this may indicate increased confidence in leading centres during the covid-19 pandemic.
“GFCI 28 shows increased confidence in the leading financial centres, but a general reduction in confidence in other centres. Uncertainty about trade, political stability, and the economic impact of the covid-19 pandemic has injected more volatility into the index results,” said Professor Michael Mainelli, executive chairman of Z/Yen.
He said new ways of working are challenging the concept of a traditional financial centre, citing the physical City of London that has had an economically difficult covid-19, while financial services in southeast England have had a bumper year.
The top 20 centres are shown in the table below.
GFCI 28 rates 111 financial centres across the world combining assessments from financial professionals with quantitative data which form instrumental factors. GFCI 28 uses 54,509 financial centre assessments collected from 8,549 financial services professionals who responded to the GFCI online questionnaire. The GFCI is updated regularly and ratings change as assessments and instrumental factors change.
Other Findings
FinTech
Western Europe
Asia/Pacific
North America
Eastern Europe & Central Asia
Middle East & Africa
Latin America & The Caribbean