Manchester is home to the largest regional financial, professional and business services (FPBS) industry outside of London, employing more than 280,000 people.
It is the only UK city outside of the capital with all elements of the sub-sectors represented at scale – from banking, financial services and FinTech to insurance, accounting and legal – providing depth and diversity across a range of disciplines.
Manchester is home to some of the world’s leading financial, professional and business services companies from Barclays, BNY Mellon, AXA, Latham & Watkins, OakNorth and Adyen.
Manchester’s financial, professional and business services sector can be traced back to the industrial revolution when the growing cotton industry received immense support from the city’s banks, insurers and professional services firms that set up here to take advantage of the opportunity.
Fast forward to today, the sector is the largest outside of London, accounting for 20% of the local economy, and Manchester is home to the UK’s largest regional FinTech ecosystem.
Manchester has historically been the location of choice for back office and technology operations but now also attracts more complex middle and front office financial services roles due to the highly-skilled workforce the city region has developed.
Spinningfields, one of Europe’s most successful urban regeneration projects, sits at the heart of the city’s FPBS industry, where it is estimated that 20,000 people work. Firms including Barclays, Deloitte and Brewin Dolphin are located here, a sign of their confidence in Manchester as a place where the largest transactions can be made and signed off.
FinTech
As the UK’s Top Digital Tech City and with the largest regional financial and professional services industry outside of the capital, Manchester is naturally home to the largest regional FinTech ecosystem in the UK.
Manchester is a melting pot of expertise that helps FinTech businesses thrive. It has a strong collection of financial technology businesses with more than 100 FinTech-related operations run out of the city region and 8,000 people working in the sector.
As well as nurturing homegrown FinTech start-ups like Nivo and Bankifi, the city has attracted nationally and internationally significant firms including Adyen, MoneySuperMarket, Worldpay, Ebury and Xero. FinTech unicorns OakNorth, Flywire, Klarna, Marqeta and Radius Payment Solutions and SaltPay have all also established a business presence in Manchester.
Banks and financial services firms have been innovating in Manchester for more than 40 years – but throughout the last 10 years the FinTech industry has really come into its own.
With an established business environment and already home to a wealth of top FinTech brands, Manchester also has a growing a growing presence of start-ups specialising in a range of areas such as payments, software, platforms, analytics and cyber security. There is a genuine start-up culture in the city, with numerous tech events taking place and plenty of entrepreneurial spirit.
The growth of the sector is underpinned by a strong and growing pool of tech talent, digital and tech hubs providing a base for start-ups, SMEs and larger firms to collaborate; as well as numerous FinTech-focused industry groups to support collaboration and innovation across the city region.
As well as being able to access the wealth of knowledge and skills held in the city’s financial services firms, FinTechs in Manchester can easily engage with specialists in payments, online security and service design as well as software development and data analytics to develop and strengthen consumer-focused products and services.
The depth and diversity of Manchester’s economy offers a wealth of FinTech market opportunities – through the abundance of banks and financial services firms to the city’s burgeoning eCommerce and cyber security industries.
In addition to providing outstanding market opportunity, as the UK’s fastest growing region for FinTech outside London, Manchester offers access to expert talent and cost competitiveness.
The five universities in the city region also have a proven track record of working with industry on R&D projects, providing businesses in the city region with the opportunity to engage in expert FinTech-related research projects.
Shared Services
Manchester is one of Europe’s leading shared service centre (SSC) locations having amassed a large, qualified workforce specialising in finance, procurement, HR and IT, resulting in a highly developed industry structure.
The city-region has a proven track record of delivering back office solutions and operational support functions that is unrivalled in Europe and has led some of the world’s biggest brands to establish SSC and contact centres in Manchester.
The region is home to more than 45 shared service centres as well as 250 contact centres including global names such as BUPA, Latham & Watkins, Marks & Spencer, Ford Credit Europe, PZ Cussons, SPX and WorldPay; creating an established network of expertise and labour.
For new central delivery teams, Manchester provides the expert knowledge, skills and guidance to ensure the establishment of an efficient and successful operation. Having such an evolved SSC industry, Manchester can also provide more mature cross-sector business functions with support and technology expertise, in areas including robotics and automation, to guide them through evolution and often become more cost-effective.
Located at the heart of the Northern labour market, businesses in Manchester have access to one of Europe’s largest commuter workforces. With 7.2 million people living within a one-hour drive of the city, companies can access a wider range of expertise to make their operation successful. Manchester also boasts a multi-lingual workforce with more than 200 languages spoken meaning companies can better service global clients and customers directly from Manchester.
Accountancy
Manchester’s accountancy sector employs 22,500 people across private practice and the wider industry. Global firms including PwC, Deloitte, KPMG and EY all have a significant presence in Manchester, emp
Manchester is one of Europe’s leading shared service centre (SSC) locations having amassed a large, qualified workforce specialising in finance, procurement, HR and IT, resulting in a highly developed industry structure.
The city-region has a proven track record of delivering back office solutions and operational support functions that is unrivalled in Europe and has led some of the world’s biggest brands to establish SSC and contact centres in Manchester.
The region is home to more than 45 shared service centres as well as 250 contact centres including global names such as BUPA, Latham & Watkins, Marks & Spencer, Ford Credit Europe, PZ Cussons, SPX and WorldPay; creating an established network of expertise and labour.
For new central delivery teams, Manchester provides the expert knowledge, skills and guidance to ensure the establishment of an efficient and successful operation. Having such an evolved SSC industry, Manchester can also provide more mature cross-sector business functions with support and technology expertise, in areas including robotics and automation, to guide them through evolution and often become more cost-effective.
Located at the heart of the Northern labour market, businesses in Manchester have access to one of Europe’s largest commuter workforces. With 7.2 million people living within a one-hour drive of the city, companies can access a wider range of expertise to make their operation successful. Manchester also boasts a multi-lingual workforce with more than 200 languages spoken meaning companies can better service global clients and customers directly from Manchester.
Employing more than 2,500 staff between them. Manchester’s accountancy practices provide advice on all areas of corporate finance including: MBO, MBI, M&As, flotation and stock exchange advice.
Banking and Financial Services
Manchester’s banking and financial services sector has evolved drastically and is now home to more than 60 banks employing 60,000 people across a range of disciplines including retail, corporate, wealth management and investment banking. All of the UK’s major retail banks have a regional corporate headquarters in Manchester – many of which also have significant national functions in the city – and a number of investment banks have global operations centres, head offices or regional offices in Manchester, such as BNY Mellon; a sign of their confidence in Manchester as a place where the largest transactions can be made and signed off.
Legal
Manchester is one of the primary legal centres outside of the capital, having the highest representation of the top 100 UK law firms and the highest number of legal offices and fee-earners outside of London. Key specialisms in the region include corporate, commercial, employment and IP across sectors such as financial services, TMT, transport, property, sport and the public sector.
Insurance
Manchester has a longstanding history as an important centre for insurance and its related industries. The city is home to the largest general insurance community outside of London, as well as a growing broker base, with national and large provincial insurance brokers choosing to have a significant presence in the city.
