Best place outside of NY for finance?

Most people agree that NY is the financial hub of the world, but what is the second best? I'm an American expat who grew up overseas and want to work overseas again at some point. I wanna hear everyones opinion and why. All countries are fair game.

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Best Response

London is the obvious tie with NY.

HK is also a shout but quite heavily markets and capital markets. Same for Singapore.

Tokyo, Paris, Munich/Frankfurt and Toronto also have solid banking activity.

There's also Geneva/Zurich for private banking and commodities firms, Amsterdam and Dublin for prop shops. Sydney/Melbourne and Johannesburg has some banking activity as well.

Not sure about emerging markets or the middle east/rest of africa/south america.

Was obsessed with finance, now do product in tech
 

Do you know where in Munich the business happens? I was there a few weeks ago and I'm walking around thinking, "There is not a single even moderately tall building here and I haven't seen one suit in 3 days." Then we went up to the Olympia Park observation tower (highly recommended - it's like $5 and a great view!) and I looked over all of Munich and confirmed they have no tall buildings. Couldn't make out any suits from up there either.

heister: Look at all these wannabe richies hating on an expensive salad. https://arthuxtable.com/
 

The only suits I saw were from BMW corporate. Fantastic tour of the factory and showroom

Quant (ˈkwänt) n: An expert, someone who knows more and more about less and less until they know everything about nothing.
 

Europeans are flooding Frankfurt post-Brexit Edit: We went to dinner with a German couple who had just rented a new apartment (they call them flats - how cute!). They told us how they had gone to an open house for a rental in central Frankfurt and over 50 people came through in the half hour they were there.

As an aside, their apartment was on like the fourth floor and we walk past a door on the third floor on the way up that has some salon name written on it. I'm like, "What is that, a gym?" The chick was like, "No... that is where you can go and get... how do you say... a handjob." They've got interesting zoning over there.

heister: Look at all these wannabe richies hating on an expensive salad. https://arthuxtable.com/
 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 

I would actually put London, Tokyo, and Hong Kong in roughly the same position as NY or maybe just very slightly lower.

Next comes Shanghai, Singapore, Toronto, Paris and Frankfurt.

 

All great suggestions from users above but language will be a major gating item to work in any of these financial centers (with obvious exception being London). For example in HK if you don't speak Mandarin, the chances of you landing a gig at a bank are slim to none unless you join a specialized group where language won't be an issue.

 
"WanderingWanchai" For example in HK if you don't speak Mandarin, the chances of you landing a gig at a bank are slim to none unless you join a specialized group where language won't be an issue.

Mainland China speaks Mandarin. Hong Kong speaks English and Cantonese.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

I too agree that it's strange that places like Houston and Dallas didn't make the list. I suspect that it may be because they are more focused or oriented towards a specific industry then some of the other top cities. It would be interesting to read through the criteria that they used to make these rankings.

Love, abigreguy
 
"Real Marcus Halberstram" Isn't Dallas growing more than Houston nowadays in terms of banking/funds and so on? Ain't he?

I passed through Houston airport today and saw this gem:

HW Bush 'Winds of Change'

hahaha amazing

![https://i0.wp.com/www.sandinmybag.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/WP_201…]

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

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