Why is the financial world turning to Ontario?
The world of Önance is changing. The global industry is being reshaped by an unprecedented wave of regulatory reform, consolidation and technological changes. Investors are looking for a place with stable economic and political environments and a strong innovative ecosystem to support their businesses. They will Önd that and more in Ontario.
A concentrated market opportunity
Ontario’s financial services companies are concentrated in downtown Toronto, close to IT , professional and other services. That concentration will give you a critical strategic advantage.
Our financial services sector generates approximately $63 billion in GDP and employs about 365,000 people in some 12,000 financial services firms.
In Toronto, Ontario, the centre of Canada’s financial services industry , your company will be at the heart of the action.
Toronto is North America’s second largest financial services hub after New York City in terms of industry employment.
The city is Canada’s financial services capital and headquarters for:
Canada’s four largest banks(/banking) , which are among the world’s 50 largest banks by market capitalization
more than half of the world’s top 10 banks by market capitalization
three of the top five largest Canadian insurers
two of the top 20 global pension funds
eight of the 10 largest Canadian asset managers
the second largest chartered financial analyst (CFA) society in the world
the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), which leads globally in the number of total new listings and total mining listings, and ranks ninth in the world by market capitalization
The concentration of financial services activity can give your business an advantage. Y ou’ll easily be connected to leading financial institutions, funds, innovative IT and great talent.
44,000 business graduates a year
Our highly educated, skilled, multilingual and multicultural financial services workforce is 365,000 people strong and accounts for nearly half of Canada’s financial services employment. They have the creativity and energy to make your business prosper .
A steady supply of skilled, highly educated talent
We produce a steady supply of top talent from 44 universities and colleges, including 14 MBA programs at renowned institutions like Rotman, Schulich, Ivey and Queens.
We’re home to two of the top 10 international business schools.
Our 44 universities and colleges produce more than 44,000 business graduates a year . Ontario’s colleges and universities offer close to 800 cooperative education programs in a variety of disciplines. University of Waterloo’s program is the largest in the world with over 120 programs, an annual enrolment of 19,000 students and participation of more than 6,300 employers.
Globally-recognized professionals
We are home to:
about 9,000 chartered financial analysts (CFAs)
around 88,000 chartered professional accountants (CPAs)
A destination of choice for global leaders
You’ll be in great company . We’re the destination of choice for global leaders like Bank of America, Bank of China, Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs
Dynamic, diverse and welcoming
Your business will also benefit from our cultural and linguistic diversity . More than three million people fluently speak a language other than English or French. International students in a two-year MBA can stay and work for three years post-graduation; and one more year if they are enrolled in a one-year program, with possible extension.
Cost savings of up to 28%
We offer competitive costs for your business operations. In Ontario, you’ll find potentially significant cost savings over many other international financial centres.
One of the world’s soundest banking systems
Ontario’s stable economy can be largely attributed to its position at the heart of Canada’s highly advanced banking(/banking) and financial systems.
Maximize profit and minimize risk in Ontario
Here, you can maximize profit and minimize risk in an environment of economic, political and regulatory stability . Our economy proved exceptionally resilient during the financial crisis.
We have advanced, transparent and internationally respected financial and regulatory systems, including effective intellectual property and privacy rules.
Ontario is also a hub of leading-edge risk management thinking, applied research, education and training through the Global Risk Institute in Financial Services, a collaboration of regulators, risk experts, academics, policy makers and practitioners.
Recognized advantages
Global financial leaders have recognized the competitive advantages they can gain by relocating or expanding their operations here including access to major cities in the United States(/why-ontario#access) . For example, in 2011, China Investment Corporation, China’s sovereign wealth fund, opened its first overseas office not in London, New York or Chicago, but in Toronto, Ontario.
Leading global financial services companies in Ontario
AIG Insurance
Allstate
American Express
Aviva
Bank of America
Bank of China
Bank of Nova Scotia
Barclays
Bloomberg
BNY Mellon
Chase
China Construction Bank
Citigroup
Credit Suisse
Deutsche Bank
Goldman Sachs
HSBC
ICICI Bank
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China
JP Morgan
Lloyds
MasterCard
Mitsubishi UFJ
Mizuho
Morgan Stanley
Primerica
Royal Bank of Canada
Royal Bank of Scotland
Société Générale
Standard & Poor’s
Standard Chartered
Standard Life
State Bank of India
State Farm
State Street
Sumitomo Mitsui
TD Bank
UBS
US Bancorp
Wells Fargo
Zurich Financial Services
