Financial Services
Financial Services
Toronto Region: Canada's Financial Capital
As the business and financial hub of Canada, Toronto has many opportunities for both startups and established businesses to expand their operations in a thriving market. The Toronto Region is also home to one of the largest tech centers on the continent, providing a unique environment for financial services innovation.
Why is Toronto Region the right choice?
- Toronto is the Banking, Investment, and Insurance capital in Canada and is home to the headquarters of all of Canada’s Big 5 banks.
- An ecosystem of potential partners that can help you advance, adapt, and commercialize your products quickly.
- A large, high-quality pool of financial services and tech talent.
- A well-rounded financial centre and Canada’s hub for fintech and back-office activities
- A powerhouse for innovation in financial services, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and more.
We innovate among these key sub-sectors:
- Fintech and Insurtech
- Regtech
- Cybersecurity
- Blockchain
- B2B Payments
- Advanced Analytics and AI
North American Financial Services Centres by Employment (2022)
Source: Lightcast Data, Accessed February 2023
Global Financial Centre
For investors looking for a stable market to set up operations, the Toronto Region consistently outperforms most international centres and provides service levels better than most other financial centres in the world.
Toronto is the second-largest financial centre in North America, after New York. Not only are all five of Canada’s largest banks headquartered in the Toronto Region, there are also 41 international banks that established their Canadian head offices here.
Home to 10,000 financial service businesses employing over 270,000 skilled workers, the Toronto Region attracts more than half of all foreign capital investment in financial services in Canada. The Toronto Stock Exchange – North America’s third-largest by total trade – is the world’s premier investment hub for mining, oil and gas, and cleantech companies.
York University
Scheduled to inaugurate in the fall of 2024, York University’s state-of-the-art Markham campus will be a hotbed for academic excellence, offering expansive undergraduate and graduate programs.
Students will benefit from real-world learning opportunities, including co-ops, internships, and industry-led projects, all designed to facilitate a seamless transition into the professional world.
Key programs such as Financial Technologies (BSc) and Digital Technologies (BASc) stand at the forefront, promising to nurture a talent pipeline ready to fuel the Toronto Region’s evolving landscape.
Furthermore, the university’s research centers, such as the ‘Risk and Insurance Studies Centre’ and the ‘Blockchain Lab,’ are some of the few that are collaborating with financial service firms, driving innovation and ensuring the community remains a step ahead in the industry.