Asia-Pacific home to more than a third of world’s top finance centres: Colliers
Asia-Pacific cities account for 36% of the world’s leading financial centres, according to Colliers. New York still leads globally, while Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong rank strongly in the region.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
Colliers says the financial services talent map is shifting east, with Asia-Pacific now home to more than a third of the world’s top finance centres and 39% of top financial services companies. Even so, New York remains the benchmark, ahead of London and Singapore.
Colliers says more big finance cities are now in Asia-Pacific, like Shanghai and Beijing. It is like a school race where New York is still first, but more runners from Asia are moving up fast.
Analysis
What Colliers found
Colliers said Asia-Pacific cities account for 39% of the world’s top financial services companies and about 36% of its leading financial centres. The report looks at more than 200 global markets and weighs talent depth, investment activity and long-term growth prospects.
New York still sets the pace
Despite the shift east, New York remained the clear leader in Colliers’ rankings, scoring 4.6 out of 5. London followed at 3.9, with Singapore at 3.6. Colliers said New York’s high concentration of financial services headquarters, plus strong scores in labour and venture capital funding, helped lift it to the top.
Asia-Pacific’s rise
Colliers said cities in the region are benefiting from strong labour markets and venture capital activity. Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong were singled out as top talent hubs in Asia-Pacific. In the global rankings, Shanghai placed fifth, followed by Beijing and Hong Kong.
The report’s broader message is that financial services capability is moving east, even if the global centre of gravity has not fully shifted yet. Mike Davis, Colliers’ managing director for occupier services in Asia-Pacific, said organisations want to be where the talent is and that Asia-Pacific talent markets are “on the ascent.”
Bottom line
For China, the story is not that New York has lost its lead, but that Chinese financial centres remain part of a larger regional rise in talent, capital and industry depth.
Key points
- Asia-Pacific cities account for 36% of the world’s leading financial centres, Colliers said.
- The region also hosts 39% of the top global financial services companies.
- New York ranked first globally, ahead of London and Singapore.
- Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong were among Asia-Pacific’s top talent hubs.
- Colliers said the centre of gravity for financial services is shifting east.
If the trend continues, Asia-Pacific cities could attract more finance firms, talent and venture funding. That would strengthen hubs such as Beijing and Shanghai and make the region more important in global financial services.
The report also shows that New York still leads by a clear margin, so Asia-Pacific cities have not closed the gap. If labor markets or venture funding weaken, the region’s momentum could slow and its finance hubs may struggle to keep climbing.
