Finance for growth: a shared U.S./UK prosperity agenda

The resumption of trade negotiations in 2025 has created further opportunities for strengthening trade and investment between the UK and the USA in financial and related professional services.

Leading US and UK financial and professional services firms, via the British American Financial Alliance (BAFA) coalition, are urging both governments progress on the Transatlantic Taskforce for Markets of the Future.

This report, “Finance for Growth – A Shared U.S./UK Prosperity Agenda,” outlines how smarter, more aligned regulation could supercharge economic ties between the world’s two leading financial centres — London and New York — and deliver tangible benefits for businesses and households across both nations. 

Key recommendations include: 

• Unleashing cross-border data flows to support digital trade and innovation 
• Reducing frictions on digital asset regulation to reduce costs and boost investor confidence 
• Modernise regulatory rules to open up new opportunities for investment firms
• Boosting talent mobility to fill skills gaps and drive productivity 

This is about more than finance — it’s about jobs, innovation, and prosperity for millions of people. From small businesses seeking investment to consumers looking for better financial products, regulatory alignment between the UK and US will make a real difference. 

The Transatlantic Taskforce adds welcome urgency. BAFA is ready to help turn ambition into action. 

Chris Hayward, Policy Chairman of the City of London Corporation and BAFA Co-Chair

BAFA also calls for a tech-neutral, globally interoperable framework for digital assets and tokenisation — one that supports innovation, reduces fragmentation, and makes it easier for businesses of all sizes to operate across borders. 

BAFA brings together 22 leading industry groups from both sides of the Atlantic, representing the full spectrum of financial and professional services. It is co-chaired by Chris Hayward and Ken Bentsen, CEO of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA). 

As trade talks evolve, BAFA stands ready to support efforts to embed financial services into a future-proof digital trade framework — one that delivers for the wider economy. 

About The British American Finance Alliance

In October 2020, 22 groups representing the UK and U.S. financial and related professional services industries joined together to form BAFA. The coalition is chaired by Chris Hayward, Deputy Chair of TheCityUK and Policy Chairman of the City of London Corporation and Ken Bentsen, CEO and President of the Securities and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA). BAFA is unique – no other Transatlantic coalition representing such a broad cross-cutting group of industries exists.