The International Financial Services District
(IFSD) has created a highly attractive environment for indigenous
and overseas firms in finance and related sectors. As a
pre-equipped business area, it is designed to allow fast track
occupancy by financial firms seeking a new UK location for their
operations.
The IFSD project is driven by a partnership between
the public and private sectors. Over £1 billion investment
has been secured, over 90% from the private sector.
Since the launch of the IFSD, over 15,000 jobs have
moved in to the District through new investment, expansion or
diversified development. This includes companies such as JP
Morgan, esure and Morgan Stanley who have moved into the district
and existing employers such as BNP Paribas which has expanded its
operations.
Employers who have moved into the IFSD from other
locations in Glasgow include Hymans Robertson, Clydesdale Bank, The
Weir Group, British Steel Pensions Fund and ACCA.
Covering approx one square kilometre between St
Vincent Street and the River Clyde, the IFSD is the catalyst for
regenerating the Broomielaw and the west city centre area.
The IFSD is being developed by a partnership
comprising Scottish Enterprise, Glasgow City Council, Scottish
Government, Scottish Development International, Scottish Financial
Enterprise and a range of financial institutions and private sector
property developers.
Two million sq ft of top quality grade A office
space has been developed in the IFSD since 2001.
Glasgow has a strong heritage in the financial
services sector with over 30,000 people working in the
industry.
Greater Glasgow has 4 universities, 12 colleges,
other specialist higher education centres and over 200,000 students
in its travel to work area.
Glasgow offers a high quality pipeline of staff to
employers in the IFSD. Each year, 30,000 students study
financial services related subjects at Glasgow institutions.
This includes three of the UK's top business schools at
Strathclyde, Glasgow and Caledonian Universities.
Glasgow has a strong cluster in dedicated
technology operations for the financial sector with companies like
JP Morgan, National Australia Group and Ernst & Young
benefiting from a pool of high quality computing science and
software engineering graduates produced by local
universities.
Glasgow is the Best UK retail centre (outside
London) according to Experian's annual retail vitality index.
In Glasgow, one in thirteen employees works in the
financial services sector where there has been a 34% growth in
employment since 1995, making it Glasgow's fastest growing
employment sector.
The IFSD offers access to a large pool of skilled
labour with a workforce of 1.5 million living within its "travel to
work area."
The IFSD in Glasgow has "assisted area" status,
making it eligible for Regional Selective Assistance grants to
support investment in capital or jobs.
The IFSD offers excellent communications links for
staff with Glasgow offering among others, the largest suburban
commuter rail network in the UK, outside London.
Complementary activities such as residential,
commercial and leisure uses are being encouraged, bringing life and
activity to the area outwith normal office hours.
Since 2001, over 1,000 leisure and retail jobs, 700
new residential units and over 1,300 new hotel bed spaces have been
created in the IFSD.
The successful development of the IFSD and the
overall regeneration of the city's economy has been recognised by a
string of prestigious awards, nationally and internationally.
View a list of recent awards.
- Glasgow's International Financial Services District (IFSD)
has created a highly attractive environment for indigenous and
overseas firms in finance and related sectors. As a
pre-equipped business area, it is designed to allow fast track
occupancy by financial firms seeking a new UK location for their
operations.
- The IFSD project is driven by a partnership between the public and private
sectors. Over £1 billion investment has been secured to date,
over 90% from the private sector.
- Since the launch of the IFSD, over 15,500 net new jobs have
moved in to the District through new investment, expansion or
diversified development. This includes companies such as JP Morgan,
esure and Morgan Stanley which have moved into the district
and existing employers such as Barclays and BNP Paribas which
have expanded their operations substantially. Other
employers who have moved into the IFSD from other locations in
Glasgow include Hymans Robertson, The Weir Group, British Steel
Pensions Fund and ACCA.
- At the time of its launch in 2001, the IFSD covered approx one
square kilometre between St Vincent Street and the River Clyde and
it became the catalyst for rengerating the Broomielaw and the west
city centre area. Following its successful growth over the
past fifteen years, the District has expanded to the north, east
and west to cover a wider area of Glasgow city centre and IFSD
Glasgow has now become the 'brand' for Glasgow's financial services
community.
- The IFSD is being developed by a partnership comprising Scottish Enterprise,
Glasgow City Council, Scottish Development International, Invest
Glasgow, Skills Development Scotland, Scottish Financial
Enterprise, Scottish Government, BT and a wide range of
financial institutions and private sector property interests.
- Over 3 million sq ft of top quality Grade A office
space has been developed in the IFSD since 2001.
- Glasgow has a strong heritage in the financial services sector,
with over 30,000 people working in the industry.
- Greater Glasgow has 5 Higher Education institutions
and 3 'super' Colleges and over 200,000 students in its travel to
work area.
- Glasgow offers a high quality pipeline of staff to employers in
the IFSD. Each year, 30,000 students study related subjects at
Glasgow institutions. This includes three of the UK's top
business schools at Strathclyde, Glasgow and Glasgow Caledonian
Universities.
- Glasgow has a strong cluster in dedicated technology operations
for the financial sector with companies benefiting from a pool of
high quality computing science and software engineering graduates
produced by local universities.
- Glasgow is the Best UK retail centre (outside London) according
to Experian's annual retail vitality index.
- In Glasgow, one in thirteen employees works in the financial
services sector where there has been a 34% growth in employment
since 1995.
- The IFSD offers access to a large pool of skilled
labour with a workforce of 1.5 million living within its
"travel to work area."
- The IFSD in Glasgow has "assisted area" status, making it
eligible for
Regional Selective Assistance grants to support investment in
capital or jobs.
- The IFSD offers excellent communications links for staff with
Glasgow offering among others, the largest suburban commuter rail
network in the UK, outside London.
- Complementary activities such as residential, commercial and
leisure uses are being developed in the IFSD, bringing life and
activity to the area outwith normal office hours. Since 2001,
1,600 leisure and retail jobs, 700 new residential units and over
1,600 new hotel bed spaces have been created in the IFSD, along
with 100,000 sq ft of retail and leisure floorspace.
- The successful development of the IFSD and the overall
regeneration of the city's economy has been recognised by a
string of prestigious awards, nationally and internationally.