HONG KONG, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong maintained third place globally and continued to hold the top position in the Asia-Pacific region in a financial centers index published Thursday by British and Chinese think tanks.
The Global Financial Centers Index (GFCI) 39 Report, released by British think tank Z/Yen Group and the China Development Institute in Shenzhen, assessed a total of 120 financial centers around the world.
According to the report, Hong Kong's overall rating increased by 1 point to 765. The rating gaps with first place (New York) and second place (London) were only 2 points and 1 point, respectively.
Hong Kong continued to rank first globally in fintech offerings. In the assessment by practitioners in various financial industry sectors, Hong Kong's rankings generally improved. Notably, Hong Kong's rankings in the "banking" and "finance" sectors leapt to first place worldwide. Hong Kong continued to top the global ranking in the "insurance" sector, while the ranking in the "investment management" sector rose to second place globally.
In addition, Hong Kong's rankings in the five areas of competitiveness, namely "business environment," "human capital," "infrastructure," "financial sector development" and "reputational and general," continued to stay among the global top three positions.
A spokesperson for China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said that this year marks the beginning of the national 15th Five-Year Plan. Hong Kong will proactively align with the plan, foster new quality productive forces in accordance with local conditions, and accelerate the high-quality economic and financial development.
Hong Kong will continue to leverage its unique advantages under "one country, two systems" to play its role as a "super connector" and "super value-adder," and seize the opportunities emerging from the reshaping of the global investment landscape, the spokesperson added.
The GFCI Report is released in March and September every year since 2007. ■
