HONG KONG/SHENZGEN, Sept 26 (China Daily/ANN): Hong Kong has moved up a notch to fifth place in terms of comprehensive competitiveness among 111 financial centres in the world.
While New York and London maintained their respective top two rankings, Shanghai also advanced to the third spot, pushing Tokyo down to fourth place, according to the latest Global Financial Centres Index released on Friday.
Shenzhen’s too strengthened its financial competitiveness, climbing from 11th to 9th place in the rankings.
Beijing stayed put in 7th position, while Guangzhou dropped two places to 21st.
The report, published jointly by Shenzhen-based think tank China Development Institute and London-based think tank Z/Yen Group, based its findings on five areas -- business environment, human capital, infrastructure, development level of financial industry and reputation. A total of 111 financial centers worldwide were included in the study.
The coronavirus pandemic has severely dented the financial performance of major financial centres, said Liu Guohong, director of the Finance and Modern Industry Research Center at the China development Institute.
He said as the pandemic rages on, international financial professionals have lowered down their expectations of financial centres’ development.
Overall, global financial centres were down by 41 scores compared with the last report. More than 80 cities showed lower scores although those of the top 10 centres rose.
“This shows that market recognition of and confidence in the few leading financial centers are still high,” Liu said.
In a statement released on Friday afternoon, a spokesman for the Hong Kong government said the city's score rose when compared with that in March.
"As indicated in the report, the average rating of all financial centers dropped visibly during a time of continuing uncertainty around international trade, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and geopolitical environment. Meanwhile, Hong Kong's overall rating and ranking improved from those in March,” the spokesman said.
The spokesman said under the impact of the pandemic, various parts of the world were facing a varying degree of challenges. Yet, Hong Kong's financial system remains resilient.
"Hong Kong has the institutional strengths of an international financial center and robust underlying fundamentals with effective and transparent regulations that are in line with international standards. We also have a large pool of financial talents and a full range of financial products. These competitive edges will continue to sustain Hong Kong's status as a leading global financial center,” the spokesman said.
Hong Kong will continue to capitalise on the unique advantages of its financial system under “one country, two systems”, the spokesman said.
“We will step up our efforts in promoting Hong Kong's role as a leading financial center in the world and the two-way gateway between the mainland and international markets.
"We will also leverage the enormous opportunities presented by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Belt and Road Initiative to develop the city into a broader and deeper fundraising platform, and further enhance Hong Kong's position as a center for asset and wealth management, offshore renminbi business, insurance and risk management as well as green and sustainable finance, and promote the development of financial technology," the spokesman added.
The top 10 list also included Singapore, San Francisco and Zurich, which ranked sixth, eighth and 10th, respectively.
The Global Financial Centres Index, first launched in 2007, is published twice annually. The latest report is the 28th of its kind. - China Daily/Asian News Network
While New York and London maintained their respective top two rankings, Shanghai also advanced to the third spot, pushing Tokyo down to fourth place, according to the latest Global Financial Centres Index released on Friday.
Shenzhen’s too strengthened its financial competitiveness, climbing from 11th to 9th place in the rankings.
Beijing stayed put in 7th position, while Guangzhou dropped two places to 21st.
The report, published jointly by Shenzhen-based think tank China Development Institute and London-based think tank Z/Yen Group, based its findings on five areas -- business environment, human capital, infrastructure, development level of financial industry and reputation. A total of 111 financial centers worldwide were included in the study.
The coronavirus pandemic has severely dented the financial performance of major financial centres, said Liu Guohong, director of the Finance and Modern Industry Research Center at the China development Institute.
He said as the pandemic rages on, international financial professionals have lowered down their expectations of financial centres’ development.
Overall, global financial centres were down by 41 scores compared with the last report. More than 80 cities showed lower scores although those of the top 10 centres rose.
“This shows that market recognition of and confidence in the few leading financial centers are still high,” Liu said.
In a statement released on Friday afternoon, a spokesman for the Hong Kong government said the city's score rose when compared with that in March.
"As indicated in the report, the average rating of all financial centers dropped visibly during a time of continuing uncertainty around international trade, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and geopolitical environment. Meanwhile, Hong Kong's overall rating and ranking improved from those in March,” the spokesman said.
The spokesman said under the impact of the pandemic, various parts of the world were facing a varying degree of challenges. Yet, Hong Kong's financial system remains resilient.
"Hong Kong has the institutional strengths of an international financial center and robust underlying fundamentals with effective and transparent regulations that are in line with international standards. We also have a large pool of financial talents and a full range of financial products. These competitive edges will continue to sustain Hong Kong's status as a leading global financial center,” the spokesman said.
Hong Kong will continue to capitalise on the unique advantages of its financial system under “one country, two systems”, the spokesman said.
“We will step up our efforts in promoting Hong Kong's role as a leading financial center in the world and the two-way gateway between the mainland and international markets.
"We will also leverage the enormous opportunities presented by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Belt and Road Initiative to develop the city into a broader and deeper fundraising platform, and further enhance Hong Kong's position as a center for asset and wealth management, offshore renminbi business, insurance and risk management as well as green and sustainable finance, and promote the development of financial technology," the spokesman added.
The top 10 list also included Singapore, San Francisco and Zurich, which ranked sixth, eighth and 10th, respectively.
The Global Financial Centres Index, first launched in 2007, is published twice annually. The latest report is the 28th of its kind. - China Daily/Asian News Network
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