Providing financial services to the world

Exports from UK financial services firms amounted to £82.4bn in 2020 and generated £63.7bn of trade surplus, according to the most recent data published in the ONS Pink Book. This marks an increase of £1.6bn – up from £62.1bn in 2019 – despite the backdrop of a challenging year.  

Financial services trade continues to be a major driver of the UK economy and is by far the largest trade surplus of any other UK service industry. Exporting over four times the worth of financial services than it imported, UK financial services accounted for almost 50% of the UK’s entire services trade surplus.

At the end of 2020, foreign direct investment (FDI) stock held in UK financial services was valued at £588bn, accounting for 30% of all FDI stock in the UK. Through sharing and developing our financial services expertise, the UK can continue to build and strengthen trade and investment links across the world.

£63.7bn trade surplus in 2020