Seoul ranks eighth in global financial competitiveness, finishing in the top 10 for the fourth consecutive year. Shown is a night view of the Yeouido area of Seoul's Yeongdeungpo-gu District on Aug. 17, 2025. (Seoul Metropolitan Government)
By Kim Seon Ah
Seoul ranks eighth worldwide in financial competitiveness, staying in the top 10 for the fourth consecutive year.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government on March 26 said the capital placed eighth among 137 world cities in the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI) report released by the British consulting group Z/Yen.
Seoul has steadily risen in the rankings from 53rd in 2009 to 16th in 2021 and 12th in 2022, remaining in the top 10 over the past four years.
In the latest survey, the city finished higher than Tokyo (10th) and Paris (19th). The top five on the list were New York, London, Hong Kong, Singapore and San Francisco in that order.
Seoul was recognized for its competitiveness in all five categories: eighth in human capital, sixth in business environment, eighth in financial sector development, 10th in infrastructure and ninth in reputation, with the city's ranking in infrastructure jumping nine spots.
Jointly released by Z/YN and the China Development Institute, the GFCI, which comes out twice a year in March and September, gauges the financial competitiveness of major global cities through an online survey of financial professionals.
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