Thursday 09 July 2026 4:04 am  |  Updated:  Wednesday 08 July 2026 5:41 pm

London cannot afford to sleepwalk through the next decade 

By: Aster Crawshaw

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London is slipping into complacency. We must use the next decade to reassert ourselves as a premier financial centre, writes Aster Crawshaw

There is a confidence that comes from long-term success, but confidence can too easily lead to complacency. London and New York compete each year to be named the world’s leading financial centre, but will London be competing for the crown in 2036? The world is not standing still. Neither can we.

In researching a new report on the City’s future, experts we spoke to were unanimous that London has what it needs to thrive. A broad and deep financial and advisory ecosystem, access to a global talent pool, trusted legal and regulatory systems, and a thirst for innovation. Yet I keep returning to a warning one contributor gave us: competitive advantages can erode and business flows are fickle. 

None of what follows should be read as pessimism. Quite the opposite. The next........

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