Stern School of Business at NYU Abu Dhabi releases inaugural Financial Center Competitiveness Index

• Results rank New York, London, and Singapore as the top three global financial centers
• Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Riyadh, and Doha all feature in the top 30, underscoring the GCC’s growing role in global finance
• First major publication of the Institute for Global Financial Competitiveness in Abu Dhabi, supported by Ray Dalio

ABU DHABI, UAE, Dec. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Stern School of Business at NYU Abu Dhabi (Stern at NYUAD), one of the world’s leading business schools, today released the inaugural Financial Center Competitiveness Index (FCCI) at the Global Markets Summit during Abu Dhabi Finance Week. The index evaluates international financial centers worldwide and ranks New York, London, and Singapore as the top three. Highlighting the GCC’s growing influence in a landscape long shaped by established hubs, the Index places Abu Dhabi 12th and Dubai 14th overall, with Riyadh 26th and Doha 29th.

As the global economic landscape becomes more complex, traditional indices offer rankings without fully explaining what drives them. The FCCI addresses this gap. Using data science to blend data driven rankings with strategic analysis, it gives policymakers a clearer view of how financial centers compare and compete, helps emerging centers understand how to strategically plan for growth, and supports decision makers navigating increasingly complex global economic dynamics.

The Institute advances research into the evolving global economic order, with a focus on the role of international financial centers. By creating a systematic benchmark for financial centers, it provides policymakers, business leaders, and investors with an evidence-based framework to navigate shifting global dynamics.

“International financial centers are one of the clearest ways to observe how the global economy is shifting” said Rob Salomon, Dean of Stern at NYUAD. “With the FCCI and the Institute for Global Financial Competitiveness, we wanted to move beyond league tables and provide a research-based view of how cities are engaged in building financial capacity. The strong performance of cities located in the Gulf region shows how fast new hubs can move when policy, regulation, talent, and innovation are aligned.”

The FCCI uses a two-pillar framework that looks at today and tomorrow. The Footprint pillar tracks current scale and activity, including institutional strength, resources, and local ecosystems. The Dynamics pillar assesses growth potential and future readiness, with a focus on technology and innovation. Together, the pillars show where centers stand now and how prepared they are for what comes next.

The principal investigators of the Index are Bruno Lanvin, President of the Descartes Institute and Senior Advisor at the Institute for Global Financial Competitiveness, Stern at NYUAD, and Anisa Shyti, Clinical Associate Professor of Accounting at Stern at NYUAD.

“In an environment of shifting growth engines, new technologies, and rising geopolitical risk, financial centers need tools that help them think in years, not quarters,” said Lanvin. “The Index is meant to sit at the intersection of data and strategy. It helps cities understand how they fit into a more polycentric financial system. Our aim is to inform better choices, whether that means where to invest, where to locate, or how to build the trust that ultimately underpins competitiveness.”

The index also points to the rising importance of technology and infrastructure. As AI intensive and data driven activity expands, financial centers must invest in digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, and sustainable energy to support new forms of financial intermediation.

“The FCCI is built to be used, not just read,” said Shyti. “By separating Footprint and Dynamics, and by making the data available through an interactive platform, we give policymakers, financial center managers, and investors the power to stress test their assumptions – a tool for decision and action. Uncertainty hits everyone, but never the same way. Stakeholders can shift the weight to regulation, or technology, or talent – and instantly see the rankings reshape to the future they expect. That flexibility is essential in a world where the questions keep changing.”

The FCCI is the first major publication of the Institute for Global Financial Competitiveness, which Stern at NYUAD announced last month. The Institute uses data science to research It is mentored by renowned investor Ray Dalio and brings together a world class team of researchers and advisors.

The performance of the GCC reflects a wider regional trend. Strengthening regulatory frameworks, targeted investments in innovation, and the expansion of financial activity across the region are contributing to the rise of several regional centers. These developments underscore the need for tools like the FCCI, which clarifies how financial centers evolve and compete over time.

Produced by the Institute for Global Financial Competitiveness (IGFC) at Stern at NYUAD, with support from the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) and Dalio Philanthropies, 

The full FCCI report is available here.

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