Sun, Oct 19, 2025
A A A
Welcome Guest
Free Trial RSS pod
Get FREE trial access to our award winning publications
Industry Updates

Global Financial Centres Index 26: London at risk - China dominates FinTech GFCI 26 headlines

Thursday, September 19, 2019
Opalesque Industry Update - London hung onto its second place ranking in the Global Financial Centres Index 26, launched today by Z/Yen Group in partnership with the China Development Institute (CDI) in both London and Shenzhen.

New York extended its lead over London to 17 points. Strong performances from other centres, in particular Paris, put London's second place in the index at risk next time. If London and Paris have similar falls and rises in the ratings for GFCI 27, London would be reduced to a two point lead over Paris and lie behind Shanghai.

The new FinTech index, published for the first time alongside the GFCI, is dominated by Chinese centres taking five of the top seven places in the index, led by Beijing and Shanghai. New York, London, Singapore, San Francisco, and Chicago also feature in the top ten for FinTech.

Trade wars, geopolitical unrest, and Brexit are introducing significant adjustments to medium-term perceptions. Twelve centres rose 10 or more places in the rankings and ten fell 10 or more places.

Performance across the index showed slightly reduced confidence, with the overall ratings falling around 2.5% from GFCI 25. Thirty-one of the 104 centres fell in the ratings, including all of the top five centres.

Seven of the top ten places in the index are now taken by Asia/Pacific centres, continuing the region's strong performance over recent years.

Leading Centers

New York retains its first place in the index, extending its lead over London from seven to 17 points. Hong Kong is now only two points behind London. Singapore and Shanghai remain in fourth and fifth position. All five top centres fell in the ratings in GFCI 26.

London held onto second place in the index, but fell 14 points in the ratings. If London and Paris have similar falls and rises in the ratings in GFCI 27, London would be reduced to a two point lead over Paris and would lie behind Shanghai.

Shenzhen, Dubai, and Sydney entered the top 10, easing out Toronto, Zurich, and Frankfurt.

Within the top 30 centres, Paris has performed well, rising 10 places to 17th.

Following a good performance in GFCI 25, this region had a more mixed performance in GFCI 26, with 15 centres rising in the rankings and 13 falling.

Asia/Pacific Centres performed well, with 20 of the 27 centres in the region either retaining or improving their position in the rankings. Nanjing entered the index for the first time.

There were significant rises for Wellington, Mumbai, and Chengdu.

North American centres had mixed fortunes in GFCI 26, with Canadian centres dropping back following their improved performance in GFCI 25, while US centres generally improved their rankings and ratings.

Seven out of the ten North American centres in the index are in the top 20.

Nur-Sultan (formerly Astana) retained its top ranking in the Eastern Europe & Central Asia region, consolidating its position despite being a recently-formed financial centre.

All but two of the 16 centres in the region improved their rating, with nine centres improving their overall ranking.

Dubai, Casablanca, Tel Aviv, and Doha continued to rise in the index, with Dubai entering the top ten in the world. There were significant improvements for Mauritius, Bahrain, and Nairobi.

The Bahamas and Buenos Aries performed well in GFCI 26, rising 11 and ten places in the rankings respectively.

The British Crown Dependencies' performance dipped, with the Isle of Man down five places in the rankings, Jersey falling 12, and Guernsey continuing its rapid decline in the index, dropping 17 places following its 15-place fall in GFCI 25.

What do you think?

   Use "anonymous" as my name    |   Alert me via email on new comments   |   
Previous Opalesque Exclusives                                  
Previous Other Voices                                               
Access Alternative Market Briefing

 



  • Top Forwarded
  • Top Tracked
  • Top Searched
  1. Global fintech investment slumps to seven-year low of $95.6bn[more]

    Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia: Global fintech investment plummeted to $95.6 billion across 4,639 deals in 2024, marking its lowest level since 2017, as investors grappled with persistent macroeconomic challenges and geopolitical tensions, revealed a study. According to the Pulse of Fintech H2'

  2. Opalesque Exclusive: Private capital deal value climbed 19% in 2024[more]

    Bailey McCann, Opalesque New York: Private capital deal value climbed 19% in 2024, according to the latest data from the Global Private Capital Association. Growth was driven by big-ticket investments across Southeast Asia, Latin America and Central & Eastern Europe (CEE). Investor confidence

  3. Opalesque Roundup: Citco: 77% of hedge funds achieved positive returns in January 2025: hedge fund news[more]

    In the week ending February 21st, 2025, a report revealed that hedge funds enjoyed one of their best opening months this decade in January, as Equity and Multi-Strategy funds posted strong returns. Funds administered by the Citco group of companies (Citco) delivered a weighted average return of 4%,

  4. Opalesque exclusive: Permuto's new equity unbundling product to change investment model[more]

    Opalesque Geneva for New Managers: Here is a different way of owning stocks coming to you soon: the option of holding just the dividend portion of a stock, independent of its price movements. Or capturing the stock&

  5. Opalesque Exclusive: Hedge funds outperform mutual funds in managing extreme risk contagion - key insights for investors[more]

    Matthias Knab, Opalesque for New Managers: Hedge funds and mutual funds are among the most prominent vehicles for investors seeking growth and diversification. However, a critical question persists: which fund ty