Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is an international centre of business, culture, and innovation. A highly skilled workforce, competitive cost base and renowned quality of life make Edinburgh preferred location for businesses ranging from start-ups to multinationals.

Edinburgh has been a financial services hub since the Bank of Scotland was founded in the city more than 300 years ago. The city regularly ranks among the world’s leading financial centres in the Global Financial Centres Index. The city has particular strengths in asset management, with some of the world’s largest asset managers having a presence in Edinburgh. The city also possesses strengths in banking, life insurance, and asset servicing, backed up by a rapidly-expanding financial technology (fintech) sector.

Technology has rapidly emerged in recent years as a keystone of the city’s economy. The city benefits from both a vibrant array of high-growth start-ups and global names such as Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon. Particular areas of strength include fintech, electronics, and videogame. At the heart of the sector is the University of Edinburgh’s School of Informatics, one of the largest schools of computing in the UK.

Edinburgh also has strengths in tourism, with the city’s two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, rich selection of visitor attractions, and year-round programme of cultural festivals attracting visitors from around the globe. The UK’s second most popular visitor destination, Edinburgh has recently confirmed plans to establish a new world-class hospitality training academy as a partnership between Edinburgh College, the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, and the hotelier Hyatt.

Edinburgh’s success is powered by its knowledge-driven economy, with one of the UK’s best educated workforces, multiple highest education institutions – among them the world-leading University of Edinburgh – and a rich history of innovation spanning disciplines such as bioscience, energy, and software engineering. Other key strengths of the city include its attractive quality of life (ranging from award-winning boutique restaurants to some of the UK’s finest urban parks); its global connectivity (with direct flights to over 100 destinations worldwide); and its sophisticated business ecosystem (with businesses able to access a rich supply chain of lawyers, accountants, consultants, and other professional services).

These attributes make Edinburgh a location of choice for global investors.

Edinburgh was ranked Europe’s seventh top financial centre in the 2021 Global Financial Centres Index.

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Contact:

David Cooper,
Head of Development and Regeneration
+44 (0)131 529 6233

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