With London's financial services sector not only powering £110.6 billion of the city's economic output but also boasting an astonishing productivity rate of £120,000 per worker—2.5 times the UK average—the numbers reveal a dynamic global powerhouse whose influence reaches every corner of the economy.
Key Takeaways
- London's financial and professional services sector employed 663,000 people in 2022, representing 15.5% of total employment in the city
- The average salary in London's financial services sector was £78,900 in 2022, 79% higher than the UK average
- 48% of financial services employees in London were in professional, scientific, and technical roles in 2021
- Financial services contributed £110.6 billion to London's GVA in 2022, 23% of the city's total GVA
- The sector generated £12.6 billion in business taxes for the UK exchequer from London in 2022-23
- London's financial services output grew by 6.2% in real terms from 2021 to 2022
- London hosts 1,500 financial and professional services firms
- Over 250 foreign banks have operations in London as of 2023
- 70% of the world's top 100 banks have headquarters or major offices in London
- London manages £3.1 trillion in assets under management for overseas clients
- 2,600 fintech firms in London raised £12.2 billion in funding 2018-2023
- London ranks #1 in Europe for fintech investment with $4.5 billion in 2022
- London handles 43% of global FX turnover worth $6.6 trillion daily
- £10.6 trillion total assets under management in London as of 2023
- 50% of global insurance bonds traded in London
London's financial services industry is large, prosperous, and a globally leading economic hub.
Economic Contribution
- Financial services contributed £110.6 billion to London's GVA in 2022, 23% of the city's total GVA
- The sector generated £12.6 billion in business taxes for the UK exchequer from London in 2022-23
- London's financial services output grew by 6.2% in real terms from 2021 to 2022
- Insurance sector within London contributed £15.4 billion GVA in 2022
- Financial services exports from London reached £70 billion in 2022
- The multiplier effect of financial services adds £2.20 to London's economy per £1 spent in the sector
- Banking sub-sector GVA in London was £45 billion in 2022
- Professional services linked to finance added £40 billion to London GVA in 2022
- Post-Brexit, London's financial services GVA share remained at 45% of UK total in 2022
- Sector supported 1 in 9 UK jobs indirectly through London hub in 2023
- London's finance sector tax contribution per employee averages £40,000 annually
- Growth in asset management GVA in London hit 8% in 2022
- Financial services drove 4% of London's GDP growth in 2022-2023
- Total economic output from London wholesale financial markets was £25 billion in 2022
Economic Contribution Interpretation
Even as whispers of post-Brexit decline persist, London's financial engine remains a prolific, tax-paying, job-creating behemoth, single-handedly bankrolling nearly a quarter of the city's economy and proving that while money can't buy happiness, it certainly funds a good chunk of everything else.
Employment and Workforce
- London's financial and professional services sector employed 663,000 people in 2022, representing 15.5% of total employment in the city
- The average salary in London's financial services sector was £78,900 in 2022, 79% higher than the UK average
- 48% of financial services employees in London were in professional, scientific, and technical roles in 2021
- Women accounted for 42% of the financial services workforce in London in 2022, up from 39% in 2019
- Over 100,000 jobs in London's financial services are held by non-UK nationals, comprising 17% of the workforce in 2023
- The sector saw 12,000 net new jobs created in London between 2021 and 2022
- 25% of London's financial services workers have STEM qualifications, higher than the national average of 19%
- Apprenticeships in financial services in London grew by 15% to 8,500 in 2022-2023
- The finance sector in London has a productivity rate of £120,000 per worker, 2.5 times the UK average
- 35,000 financial services jobs in London are in insurance and pensions sub-sector as of 2023
- BAME representation in London's financial services senior roles reached 12% in 2022
- 22% of financial services firms in London reported skills shortages in data analytics in 2023 survey
- Youth employment in London fintech grew 20% to 15,000 jobs since 2020
- 18% of London's financial services workforce is aged 50+, indicating ageing demographic
- Hybrid working adopted by 85% of London financial firms, impacting 550,000 roles in 2023
Employment and Workforce Interpretation
London's financial engine isn't just powered by money, but by a diverse and highly-productive army of well-paid specialists, who are increasingly young, increasingly female, and who will happily log in from anywhere to keep the city's economic crown polished.
Fintech and Innovation
- London manages £3.1 trillion in assets under management for overseas clients
- 2,600 fintech firms in London raised £12.2 billion in funding 2018-2023
- London ranks #1 in Europe for fintech investment with $4.5 billion in 2022
- 15% of global fintech patents originate from London firms in 2023
- Revolut, London's largest fintech, processes 500 million transactions monthly
- Blockchain startups in London secured £1.1 billion VC funding in 2022
- 40% of UK digital banks are London-based, serving 20 million users
- AI adoption in London finance firms at 65%, highest in Europe
- Open banking APIs in London handled £50 billion payments in 2023
- 200 regtech firms in London, reducing compliance costs by 30%
- London's fintech sector grew 14% YoY in firm numbers to 2,800 in 2023
- Sustainable fintech investments in London hit £800 million in 2022
- 55% of London banks use cloud computing for core operations
- Embedded finance transactions in London reached 1 billion annually
- Quantum computing pilots by 20 London firms for risk modeling
Fintech and Innovation Interpretation
London isn't just playing with pocket change; it's orchestrating a global symphony of capital, code, and compliance where traditional finance and disruptive innovation are locked in a wildly productive dance, proving that the City's greatest asset isn't just the £3.1 trillion it manages, but its relentless ability to reinvent the very rules of the financial game.
Firms and Institutions
- London hosts 1,500 financial and professional services firms
- Over 250 foreign banks have operations in London as of 2023
- 70% of the world's top 100 banks have headquarters or major offices in London
- There are 1,100 insurance firms based in London, employing 75,000 people
- London is home to 600 asset management firms managing £4.2 trillion AUM
- 400 fintech companies are headquartered in London
- The City of London hosts 95 of the top 100 law firms globally
- 150 private equity firms operate from London with £1 trillion AUM
- London accounts for 75% of UK financial services firms
- 300 venture capital firms active in London financial services
- Over 200 reinsurance firms in London, leading global market
- 50% of global FX trading firms are in London
- London has 1,000+ accountancy firms in financial services cluster
- 120 clearing houses and CSDs operate in London
- 650 consulting firms serve London's financial sector
- London fintech unicorns number 45 as of 2023
- 80 family offices manage £200 billion from London base
- 1,200 SMEs in London's financial services supply chain
Firms and Institutions Interpretation
While London's financial district may not be paved with gold, it is most certainly paved with the concentrated power, relentless innovation, and interconnected might of nearly every major global bank, a towering army of lawyers and insurers, a legion of asset managers, and a thriving ecosystem of fintechs, all working in a dense, symbiotic cluster that makes the city less a market and more the financial equivalent of a super-organism.
International and Assets
- London handles 43% of global FX turnover worth $6.6 trillion daily
- £10.6 trillion total assets under management in London as of 2023
- 50% of global insurance bonds traded in London
- London clears 90% of Europe's trade in euro derivatives
- Overseas clients account for 45% of London's AUM at £4.8 trillion
- London is the world's largest centre for international debt issuance, £2.5 trillion annually
- 75% of global green bond issuance coordinated from London
- GBP interest rate derivatives turnover in London $3.4 trillion daily
- London manages 37% of global custody assets
- Cross-border banking from London totals £27 trillion in claims
- 60% of Fortune 500 firms use London for treasury operations
- London handles 80% of world's commercial paper issuance
- International wholesale insurance premiums through London £150 billion
- London tops GFCI index for 18th year with score 775/1000 in 2023
- £1.2 trillion in overseas equities managed from London
- London reinsurance premiums exceed $100 billion globally
International and Assets Interpretation
While London may occasionally debate the merits of a full English breakfast, there is no debate that it serves as the world's indispensable financial kitchen, where the globe's multi-trillion-dollar daily specials are cooked, plated, and cleared with unmatched scale and a side of green bonds.
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