London has won its bid to host Sibos in 2019, following a successful campaign from ExCeL London and London & Partners, the mayor’s official promotional company for the city.
The event is likely to see more than 7,000 financial services professionals gathering at London’s ExCeL centre for the annual SWIFT conference.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: "Our great capital is leading the world in financial services and financial technology, offering a veritable melting pot of expertise, insight and innovation. Hosting this influential gathering underlines our world-leading credentials as a booming financial and technology centre, and I am certain that with London as the dazzling backdrop, Sibos 2019 will be a huge success."
London was recently named the top centre for technology readiness, business, finance and culture in PricewaterhouseCoopers’s Cities of Opportunity index. According to Accenture, the UK and Ireland also accounted for more than half of Europe’s fintech deals in 2013.
David Pegler, CEO of ExCeL London, said “As the world’s premium financial services event, it has been our aspiration to host Sibos for many years. The huge investment in ExCeL’s world-class event facilities coupled with London’s new transport and hotel infrastructure mean that we have been able to meet the criteria outlined by SWIFT for the very first time.”
London & Partners CEO Gordon Innes added: "It is over 30 years since Sibos came to the UK and London's financial services landscape has changed beyond recognition since then, particularly with the rapid growth of our fintech sector.”
The announcement also went down well with London’s financial services industry, with spokespeople from Barclays, Lloyds and RBS voicing their support.
