Paris aims to become main European financial hub post-Brexit, French PM says
The French capital of Paris is gunning to become the financial centre of Europe in the aftermath of Brexit, according to the country’s prime minister Edouard Philippe.
At a banking conference in Paris on Tuesday, Philippe vowed to use all means necessary to make the city an attractive place for financial firms to do business.
Following the UK vote to leave the EU last June, a host of major financial institutions have indicated plans to move operations out of London due to uncertainty surrounding the falling value of sterling and the possible loss of banks’ passporting rights.
Philippe recently announced a new package of tax reforms, which includes a cut for high-earning finance professionals.
Philippe vowed to use all means necessary to make the city an attractive place for financial firms
"We want Paris to become Europe's new number one financial hub after Brexit," Philippe said.
“Our goal is to send a strong signal to the world business community… Paris is ready and France is back,” he added.
Several top finance bosses also spoke at the International Finance Forum in Paris, including JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and HSBC chief Stuart Gulliver.
The British bank’s boss described the new tax reforms in France as 'very, very positive'.