The report, titled Global Financial Services Markets: Top Talent Locations 2026, highlights a significant shift in how financial services firms are evaluating their global location strategies. As companies seek to balance talent availability, cost efficiency, and accelerating technological transformation, they are increasingly expanding beyond traditional financial centres and exploring a broader network of strategic and emerging markets.
Based on an assessment of more than 200 markets worldwide, the study identifies key financial services hubs where talent depth, investment activity, and long-term growth potential are converging. The findings underscore the growing importance of Asia-Pacific as a global financial services powerhouse.
According to the report, the Asia-Pacific region accounted for 39 percent of the global financial services companies included in the study, the highest share among all regions. The region also represented approximately 36 percent of the global talent centres identified in the rankings and dominated the category of domestic and operational centres, accounting for 44 percent of all ranked markets.
Major Asia-Pacific cities, including Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Tokyo, featured prominently among the world’s leading financial services locations. Indian cities also secured strong positions in the rankings, supported by robust venture capital activity, strong labour market fundamentals, and significant industry output.
Among Indian markets, Mumbai emerged as a leading “Global Centre” for financial services talent, reinforcing its position as the country’s premier financial hub. Delhi-NCR was recognised as a major “Strategic Centre,” while Bengaluru was identified among the world’s top “Domestic and Operational Centres.”
Arpit Mehrotra, Managing Director, Office Services, Colliers India, said India is rapidly strengthening its position as a global financial services hub due to its deep talent pool, technological expertise, and large-scale operational capabilities. He noted that as firms increasingly move beyond traditional global headquarters and delivery centres, Indian cities are well positioned to support strategic and high-value business functions.
Mehrotra further stated that rising office space demand from both global and domestic banking, financial services, and insurance firms is expected to increase the sector’s contribution to office leasing demand to between 15 and 20 percent over the coming years.
The report also highlighted India’s continued leadership within the Asia-Pacific region in terms of talent depth and labour market strength. Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, and Bengaluru ranked among the region’s strongest financial services talent markets, supported by extensive skilled workforces and a steady pipeline of finance professionals.
India topped the labour index category across Asia-Pacific, with Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Pune emerging as the region’s three strongest markets based on talent availability and concentration of target occupations.
While Mumbai continues to serve as India’s primary financial centre, other cities including Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, and Chennai are increasingly attracting financial services firms. The report attributes this trend to competitive operating costs, strong talent pools, and increasingly mature business ecosystems.
Colliers noted that growing demand for specialised skills in digital banking, risk management, data analytics, and artificial intelligence is expected to further strengthen the position of Indian cities as regional and global financial services talent hubs.
Mike Davis, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Occupier Services, Colliers, said organisations are increasingly reassessing their talent and real estate strategies, making access to market intelligence and data-driven insights more critical than ever. He added that companies adopting evidence-based decision-making will be better positioned to compete for talent and capture future growth opportunities.
Davis also projected the emergence of a more distributed and flexible global financial services delivery model, with the Asia-Pacific region expected to remain at the centre of future expansion.
The report’s findings underline India’s growing influence in the global financial services landscape, positioning its major cities as critical centres for talent, innovation, and business growth at a time when the industry is undergoing rapid transformation worldwide.
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