CITY VIEWS: IS LONDON LOSING ITS COMPETITIVENESS AS A FINANCIAL CENTRE?
ARIF ABIDI | DEUTSCHE BANK
“I think the general consensus amongst bankers is that London is losing its edge. London used to attract the best people on the highest salaries, but not anymore. The country’s growth and credit rating has been affected by the budget deficit, which is worse than other financial centres.”
ROB ROTHKOPF | HERBERT SMITH
“No. London is a financial powerhouse and the only thing stopping it is the ash cloud. There are issues at the moment, but we are resilient and have experienced far worse in the past. It’s a good economy with plenty of highly skilled workers and the current downturn is no more than a blip.”
YONI DOMNITZ | C LEWIS & COMPANY
“London is becoming uncompetitive and I know plenty of City workers moving abroad in order to protect their bonuses. The pound has dropped significantly and that is a sign that overseas investors don’t have much confidence in us. The new government has not stabilised the markets either. ”