Frankfurt has moved up in the Global Financial Centres Index from 14th to 13th place. According to the 35th edition of the worldwide financial centre rating by the London-based Z/Yen Group, Frankfurt improved its rating by 6 points. This places Mainhattan in line with the trend, as the ratings of financial centres increased on average by 1.6%. Nonetheless, there were significant regional differences observed, with ratings improving by 3.4% in Latin America and the Caribbean, and by 2.2% in the Middle East and Africa.

The ranking is updated every six months, with the British think tank collaborating with the China Development Institute from Shenzhen since 2016. Since September 2018, New York has held the top position, closely followed by London and Singapore. Six months ago, Geneva was the only continental European financial centre to make it into the top 10. Now, it has risen from 10th place to 7th place. Seoul moved up to 10th place. The closeness in rankings among the leading financial centres is highlighted by Washington, D.C. dropping out of the top 10, despite improving its rating by one point.

In Western Europe, Frankfurt ranks third behind London (2) and Geneva (7), with Paris (14) closely behind. However, the margin is merely one point.

In the more volatile fintech rating, Frankfurt has slipped from 16th to 18th place, but still remains well ahead of Berlin (36). Seoul has entered the top ten leading fintech hubs, which is once again led by New York. Meanwhile, Beijing has dropped out of the top 10.

Among the risers in Europe were Reykjavík, Jersey, Glasgow, and Lugano. Helsinki, Vienna, Guernsey, Oslo, Milan, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Berlin, Munich, and Copenhagen experienced declines. The founder and CEO of a fintech firm from Kigali is quoted as saying, „Human capital is the key! ... Growth depends on the availability of local talent pools as well as an immigration policy that attracts talent from the global market.“