News

Viet Nam’s planned International Financial Centre is an ambitious dual-city model linking Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang under one unified legal and regulatory framework. This blog explores how the VIFC could support financial sector reform, green finance, FinTech innovation and deeper international investment, while highlighting the importance of strong governance, legal certainty and continued UK-Viet Nam collaboration in determining its long-term success.

Read the speech delivered by Anne Richards DBE, our Leadership Council Chair, at our Annual Conference 2026.

In this joint statement with Make UK Defence, techUK, ADS and SMI, we express deep concern about the current state of the long-awaited Defence Investment Plan and the reportedly marginal increase in defence spending that has been proposed as part of this plan.

Miles' latest blog gives an overview of what we've been working on lately, including some key policy wins, our international engagement and our upcoming activity, including our Annual Conference.

In this blog, Laura Dawson, our Associate Director, Capital Markets, explores why digital ID is essential to making investing simpler, safer and more accessible, highlighting how interoperable digital ID could broaden access and help modernise the UK’s capital markets.

TheCityUK’s latest research shows that UK-based financial and related professional services remain a powerhouse of the national economy, contributing £290bn in output, employing almost 2.5 million people, and generating a £119.1bn trade surplus. With two thirds of jobs based outside London, the industry plays a vital role in driving growth, supporting communities and helping households and businesses across the UK.

Gary Ennis is announced as TheCityUK’s new Chair for Northern Ireland. A founding partner of Lockton in the UK and leader of its Belfast office, he will help champion the financial and related professional services industry across Northern Ireland, strengthen engagement with policymakers and stakeholders, and support TheCityUK’s wider UK policy and advocacy work.

Guernsey plays a vital role in supporting the UK’s regional growth by channeling global investment into infrastructure, housing, renewable energy and other priority sectors, while complementing the UK’s financial services strengths with specialist expertise and regulatory stability.

In this blog Anjalika looks at why Britain’s financial and related professional services exports are central to the UK’s export performance, not a niche sector. She shows how they drive growth and resilience, especially as goods trade comes under pressure.

In her latest blog, Anna Rogers, our Director of International Development, explains why the Lagos International Financial Centre (LIFC) is a timely, practical platform to deepen markets, attract long-term capital, and strengthen Nigeria’s position as a gateway for finance, innovation and trade in West Africa.

In this guest blog, Mark Jackson, Head of Future Workforce at Nationwide Building Society, looks into how disruptive technologies like AI and automation are transforming financial services, but also how success depends more on workforce skills and organisational adaptation than technology alone.

Louise Scott-Worrall, UK Head of Learning Services at KPMG, takes a look at why many organisations are investing heavily in AI but still not seeing returns. She highlights how unrealistic productivity expectations can increase pressure and the risk of missed checks.