An influential international study has named London as the world’s leading centre for business, finance and culture.
The Cities of Opportunity index, compiled by professional services firm PwC, lists London as the world leader in terms of economic influence, technology access, reputation as an urban gateway, and its development and design capabilities.
London claimed the number one position ahead of New York, Singapore, Toronto, and San Francisco, improving on its third-place position in PwC’s 2013 index.
London also was joint first (with Seoul) for technology readiness, top for software and multimedia development and design, and second overall for broadband quality. The PwC report said that the UK capital is “technologically on the top of its game.”
The PwC survey ranks 30 major international cities across a range of indicators that measure how they are developing.
Gordon Innes, Chief Executive of London & Partners, the Mayor’s promotional organisation for London, said: “London is clearly one the world’s leading financial and cultural centres, and it is excellent that its strengths are being recognised around the world. In addition, this report recognises the astounding progress made by London’s tech sector in recent months, as the city is now not only the financial hub for Europe, but also the digital hub.”
David Snell, partner, PwC in London, said: “London’s reputation as an economic powerhouse is well established, and reinforced when you consider it is the second most successful city in the Index for attracting foreign direct investment.
“What’s particularly interesting this year is the city’s growing digital reputation. There’s no doubt that this is linked to London’s impressive performance across indicators on education, technology access, skills, and ease of doing business.”
The report is available at http://pwc.blogs.com/files/cities-of-opportunity-2014-london-cover.pdf
