European Attractiveness Survey for Financial Services 2023

As the UK economy continues to evolve through an ever-changing macro environment, EY created an in-depth research methodology to track investment commitment by overseas investors into the UK financial services sector.

Now in its seventh year, the United Kingdom Attractiveness Survey for Financial Services has developed alongside EY’s widely respected United Kingdom Attractiveness Survey (UKAS) which has now been running for two decades. Building on the methodology of the EY UKAS, the adjacent Financial Services survey has become a valuable reference point for business leaders and policymakers, and ultimately a major source of data on the drivers of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the UK financial services sector. Providing unique insights into the UK financial services landscape, the 2023 campaign revealed that the UK continues to be Europe’s most attractive location for FDI into financial services, with over two-thirds of investors reporting plans to establish or extend financial services operations in the UK over the next year. Crucially, this contradicted narratives about a recent decline in the international attractiveness of the UK’s financial services sector. Momentum from the press put the campaign high on the news agenda. The 2023 campaign not only secured more than 40 pieces of coverage in titles including The Times, Bloomberg and The Telegraph, but drove a flurry of social media engagement from a raft of senior leaders including UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Bringing together teams across EY, the campaign showcased the firm’s unique intelligence on the future growth of the financial services sector.