Johannesburg has improved its placing among the top financial centres in the world, according to The Banker’s 2017 International Financial Centre rankings.<\/p>\n
South Africa’s economic hub climbed one place to 39th in the world, up from 40th in 2016. Johannesburg is not only the highest-ranked financial centre in South Africa, but also the entire African continent as the only African city ranked.<\/p>\n
The Banker\u2019s ranking of IFCs is based on data ranging from financial markets indicators to economic potential to business environment factors.<\/p>\n
A total of 82 indicators are used in the analysis, focusing on the level of international business and the value offered to institutions seeking to expand their international operations.<\/p>\n
In recognition of the fact that data for specialised financial centres is seldom consistent with that for mainland financial centres, The Banker surveyed each specialised IFC and compiled a separate table using information relevant to these locations.<\/p>\n
Publicly available data sources were used as well as The Banker Database and fDi Markets.<\/p>\n
According to the group’s findings,\u00a0London remains the leading financial hub in the world, offering a “still unbeatable combination of size and international appeal”.<\/p>\n
“It continues to attract, as well as generate, the largest number of foreign direct investment projects in financial services: 232 and 532, respectively, for the four years to the end of 2016,” The Banker said.<\/p>\n
“It hosts the biggest outstanding volumes of international debt securities, based on the issuer\u2019s country of residence ($2,964 nillion) and a healthy 18.83% ratio of foreign listings of the total floating on its stock market.”<\/p>\n
London’s financial services cluster is also expanding, with 1,208 new firms launching operations between June 2016 and early May 2017, bringing the total to 49,185, the group said.<\/p>\n
Tracking behind London is New York, followed by Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Amsterdam.<\/p>\n
New York, The Banker said, impressed with the size of its capital markets and profitability, with its banking sector earning $88.7 billion in pre-tax profits, alone. This was four times more than London.<\/p>\n
Johannesburg, ranked 39th, is ahead of Munich, Germany, and just below Shenzen, China.<\/p>\n
| #<\/th>\n | Financial Centre<\/th>\n | Score<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n |
|---|---|---|
| 1<\/td>\n | London<\/td>\n | 100.00<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 2<\/td>\n | New York<\/td>\n | 95.19<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 3<\/td>\n | Singapore<\/td>\n | 76.58<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 4<\/td>\n | Hong Kong<\/td>\n | 72.88<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 5<\/td>\n | Tokyo<\/td>\n | 70.21<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 6<\/td>\n | Amsterdam<\/td>\n | 66.54<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 7<\/td>\n | Paris<\/td>\n | 65.60<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 8<\/td>\n | Toronto<\/td>\n | 64.71<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 9<\/td>\n | Sydney<\/td>\n | 64.21<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 10<\/td>\n | Dubai<\/td>\n | 62.81<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 11<\/td>\n | Luxembourg<\/td>\n | 62.51<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 12<\/td>\n | Frankfurt<\/td>\n | 62.21<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 13<\/td>\n | Zurich<\/td>\n | 60.95<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 14<\/td>\n | Dublin<\/td>\n | 60.64<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 15<\/td>\n | Shanghai<\/td>\n | 60.08<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| <\/td>\n | <\/td>\n | <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 39<\/td>\n | Johannesburg<\/td>\n | 59.05<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n |