According to Yonhap News,

(SEOUL=Yonhap News) Reporter Han-ju Yoo = Seoul has reached 7th place in the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI), which evaluates the financial competitiveness of major cities around the world. By also recording an all-time high of 7th in fintech, its overall financial competitiveness and digital financial competitiveness have entered the global 'Top 7' side by side.

On the 16th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that Seoul ranked 7th overall among 139 cities worldwide in the '40th GFCI Report' released by British consulting group Z/Yen, climbing one spot from the previous evaluation (8th).

The GFCI, jointly published by Z/Yen and the China Development Institute (CDI), is a leading global indicator comparing and evaluating the financial competitiveness of major cities across the world.

Published twice a year in March and September since 2007, the index is compiled by combining five key assessment categories—city reputation, infrastructure, financial sector development, business environment, and human capital—with an online survey targeting financial professionals globally.

Seoul's financial competitiveness improved evenly across detailed assessments as well.

In this evaluation, Seoul placed 3rd in city reputation and 5th each in infrastructure, financial sector development, and business environment, placing within the top 5 globally in four out of the five assessment categories.

Among these, city reputation saw the largest increase, jumping six spots from 9th in the previous report to 3rd worldwide. City reputation evaluates areas such as city brand, attractiveness, cultural diversity, and urban innovation levels.

Meanwhile, New York and London took 1st and 2nd place, respectively, followed by Hong Kong (3rd), Singapore (4th), and Shanghai (5th) in this evaluation.

Taking this GFCI rank increase as momentum, the Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to focus on elevating the competitiveness of Seoul's financial industry to the next level.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said, "Seoul is no longer a city that follows leading cities, but a city that proudly competes for the very top tier globally."

He added, "As cities around the world compete beyond corporations and capital for talent and technology, we will nurture the digital finance ecosystem where Seoul holds a strong advantage and create an environment that attracts global companies and talent to further enhance Seoul's financial competitiveness."

hanju@yna.co.kr



Copyrights Yonhap News. All Rights Reserved.
Reprint or redistribution without permission is prohibited.

Source Text

Source: Yonhap News (September 16, 2026)

** This article was translated from Korean.