WAIFC leaders convene in London by invitation of TheCityUK

Having previously convened in Africa and the UAE, this will be the first gathering of WAIFC in the UK with the board set to meet with core public and private sector stakeholders developing the financial services industry, both within the UK and globally. TheCityUK is the industry-led body representing UK-based financial and related professional services, an industry that contributes over 12% of the UK’s total economic output. The UK employs over 2.5 million people across the country within the industry– two-thirds of whom are based outside London.

The trip will include academic meetings with Cambridge University, including a focus on alternative finance with Judge Business School, regulatory roundtables and actively seeing the developments in the fintech ecosystem with Barclay’s Rise.

The board will meet with Chris Hayward, Chairman of the Policy Committee, City of London Corporation as well as with Sir Peter Estlin, Alderman of the City of London, to discuss the promotion of London as an International Financial Center (IFC) and challenges and opportunities facing IFCs around the world.

The WAIFC board will convene to agree on new members joining WAIFC as well as new appointments to the board and for a review of progress on the 2023 strategy including projects such as COP 28, Women in Finance, and Arts and Financial Centers amongst others. The trip will conclude with the team attending TheCityUK’s International Conference and a roundtable with London & Partners.

Commenting on the Board Meeting, Keiichi Aritomo, Chair of the WAIFC Board stated:

“This board meeting will provide our growing member network unique insight into one of the oldest financial centers and how they have developed the sector over a few hundred years. Our collaborative model helps members benefit and exchange ideas across borders and help develop the sector across regions. With a great agenda planned for this trip to London, a lot is on our members’ minds with regard to Fintech and innovation, Inclusion, and COP28. We look forward to finalizing our plans in these spaces and bringing our perspectives to market throughout the rest of the year.”

Lamia Merzouki, Vice Chair of the WAIFC Board, commented:

“Sharing knowledge and best practice relates to our purpose as an alliance. In London, we seek for our members to see how core players within the ecosystem in the UK are driving highly relevant topics to all our members in innovation and Fintech, regulation, SME financing, the role of international financial centers or academia. All this knowledge will help our members iterate and develop ideas to benefit their region. We would like to thank TheCityUK for arranging such an intriguing agenda and look forward to the outputs that this can bring.”

Miles Celic, Chief Executive Officer, TheCityUK, said:

"We are delighted to welcome the WAIFC board to London. As well as joining our 2023 International Conference to discuss key trade and investment developments, we look forward to sharing insights on best practices and future trends."

The World Alliance of International Financial Centers (WAIFC) is a non-profit association registered in Belgium, representing 27 leading international financial centers on five continents. WAIFC members are city governments, associations, and similar institutions developing and promoting their financial centers.

WAIFC facilitates cooperation between its members, the exchange of best practices, and communication with the general public.

TheCityUK is the industry-led body representing UK-based financial and related professional services, an industry that contributes over 12% of the UK’s total economic output, is the largest taxpayer, and employs over 2.5 million people across the country – two-thirds of whom are based outside London. It is the UK’s largest net exporting industry and generates a trade surplus exceeding that of all other net exporting industries combined.