A report from TheCityUK has found that the UK is still the world’s largest financial services net exporter. It stays ahead of the US, and has more than the combined surpluses of Singapore, Switzerland and Luxembourg.
Overall in 2024, the UK generated a trade surplus of $127bn, which increases to $152.5bn if related professional services are also included.
Highlights include:
- banking sector assets that make the UK fourth globally and second in Europe as at the end of Q3 2025 – with the UK being the world’s largest centre for cross border banking and hosting more than 160 foreign banks or branches;
- London accounting for 38% of global foreign-exchange turnover and the largest renminbi foreign exchange centre;
- the UK’s insurance sector is the largest in Europe, and the UK has a 43% share of the global market for specialty risk classes;
- the UK is Europe’s largest source of pension funds;
- the LSE is the fourth ranked stock exchange globally with one of the highest equity market capitalisations in relation to GDP of the largest countries;
- the UK issued $31.9bn in green bonds in 2024 (6th globally and 3rd in Europe) and had 564 active sustainable bonds listed on the LSE by the end of 2024; and
- the UK stays the second largest destination for FinTech investment after the US.