New York is the leading financial center in the world in 2026. The Global Financial Centres Index of September 2026, the 40th edition by Z/Yen in London, gives it a rating of 761, ahead of London at 757, Hong Kong at 756 and Singapore at 755. The index ranks 117 financial centers on 144 instrumental factors and 39,531 assessments from 6,147 respondents, collected over 24 months.
A financial center is where money is managed. It is not always where its owners choose to live. Below are the top 25 of the index, then every center that is also one of the 100 places on the Patrician.ch 100, with the income tax on a $1M salary and its rank as a place to live.
The top 25 financial centers of 2026
| Rank | Center | Rating | Since March 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | 761 | no change |
| 2 | London | 757 | no change |
| 3 | Hong Kong | 756 | no change |
| 4 | Singapore | 755 | no change |
| 5 | Shanghai | 754 | up 1 |
| 6 | Tokyo | 753 | up 4 |
| 7 | Seoul | 752 | up 1 |
| 8 | Shenzhen | 751 | up 1 |
| 9 | Dubai | 750 | down 2 |
| 10 | Zurich | 749 | up 1 |
| 11 | San Francisco | 748 | down 6 |
| 12 | Geneva | 747 | up 6 |
| 13 | Abu Dhabi | 746 | up 8 |
| 14 | Los Angeles | 745 | down 2 |
| 15 | Chicago | 744 | down 1 |
| 16 | Beijing | 743 | up 6 |
| 17 | Luxembourg | 742 | down 1 |
| 18 | Boston | 741 | down 5 |
| 19 | Washington DC | 740 | down 2 |
| 20 | Osaka | 739 | up 6 |
| 21 | Lugano | 738 | up 4 |
| 22 | Busan | 737 | up 1 |
| 23 | Paris | 736 | down 4 |
| 24 | Sydney | 735 | no change |
| 25 | Copenhagen | 734 | up 19 |
From 2nd place to 25th the ratings fall by exactly 1 point a rank, so the gaps that matter are at the very top and in the moves. Abu Dhabi rose 8 places to 13th, Geneva 6 places to 12th, Tokyo 4 places to 6th and Lugano 4 places to 21st. San Francisco fell 6 places to 11th, Boston 5 places to 18th and Paris 4 places to 23rd. The previous edition, GFCI 39 of March 2026, ranked 120 centers.
What each center takes in income tax, and how it ranks as a place to live
| Center | GFCI 40 rank | Rating | Income tax on $1M | Patrician.ch 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 1 | 761 | 43% | 19th |
 | 2 | 757 | 43% | 12th |
 | 3 | 756 | 15% | 22nd |
 | 4 | 755 | 21% | 4th |
 | 6 | 753 | 52% | 8th |
 | 9 | 750 | 0% | 5th |
 | 10 | 749 | 36% | 1st |
 | 11 | 748 | 42% | 61st |
 | 12 | 747 | 40% | 3rd |
 | 13 | 746 | 0% | 21st |
 | 17 | 742 | 44% | 18th |
 | 21 | 738 | 35% | 9th |
 | 23 | 736 | 44% | 17th |
 | 24 | 735 | 45% | 14th |
 | 36 | 723 | 32% | 47th |
 | 43 | 716 | 43% | 28th |
 | 51 | 708 | 20% | 45th |
 | 58 | 701 | 45% | 7th |
 | 61 | 698 | 48% | 42nd |
 | 62 | 697 | 45% | 51st |
 | 63 | 696 | 34% | 77th |
 | 65 | 694 | 11% | 49th |
 | 70 | 686 | 0% | 2nd |
 | 72 | 684 | 34% | 83rd |
 | 76 | 680 | 0% | 55th |
 | 81 | 674 | 48% | 6th |
 | 83 | 672 | 6% | 72nd |
 | 91 | 654 | 18% | 35th |
 | 94 | 650 | 45% | 46th |
 | 102 | 632 | 22% | 29th |
 | 108 | 618 | 0% | 89th |
 | 109 | 617 | 0% | 81st |
 | 117 | 576 | 34% | 87th |
The tax column is the effective income tax on a $1M salary for a non-US single filer on the Patrician.ch 2026 model. The last column is the place's rank of 100 on the Patrician.ch 100, which scores safety, luxury and society, schools, healthcare, infrastructure and tax together. Jersey, Tucker's Town, George Town, Nassau, Valletta, Limassol, Gibraltar and Vaduz stand for the centers the index names after their country or territory: Jersey, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, Malta, Cyprus, Gibraltar and Liechtenstein.
Where the money is managed, and where its owners live
The 2 lists agree at the top more than they differ. Zurich is 10th of the index and 1st on the Patrician.ch 100. Singapore is 4th of the index and 4th as a place to live. Geneva rose to 12th and ranks 3rd.
They part where tax or daily life weighs on a center. New York leads the index and ranks 19th as a place to live, with an effective 43% on $1M. Hong Kong is 3rd of the index and 22nd on the Patrician.ch 100, held back by freedom and happiness. Monaco works the other way: it is 70th of the index, and 2nd as a place to live, with an effective 0% on $1M.
In the Gulf, Dubai is 9th of the index and Abu Dhabi 13th. Both charge 0% on a salary, and Dubai ranks 5th on the Patrician.ch 100 against 21st for Abu Dhabi.
The full list of 100 places is on the Patrician.ch 100, and the engine ranks them on a reader's own income, passports and family.
Sources
- Global Financial Centres Index 40, Z/Yen, September 2026
- GFCI 40 report (PDF)
- GFCI 39, Z/Yen, March 2026
Figures come from the Patrician.ch 2026 model: indicative headline brackets for a non-US single filer, current to October 2026. Research, not tax, legal or immigration advice.