According to data from fDiMarkets, the Romanian capital Bucharest is number one in the top 10 list of destination cities for investment by eurozone investors in the financial services sector. The highest annual capital expenditure recorded in the city in this period was in 2008, when more than $1.2bn was invested in the financial services sector by eurozone investors. In 2008, German-based insurance company Allianz Group, Greece-based investment firm Global Finance and French corporate and investment bank Natixis all announced investments in the city.

Another European capital, London, is fifth on the list. It recorded its best year in 2006 when $213.5m was invested by eurozone investors in the financial services sector. Investors in London have included Dutch insurer Aegon, Ireland-based merchant service company Fexco and Spain-based credit institution Bancaja.

Half of the top 10 destination cities are located in Asia, with Beijing the top Asian destination city for eurozone investors investing in the financial services sector. The most successful year for Beijing was in 2007, when $702.8m was invested. German-based insurer Aliianz, and French banks BNP Paribas and Société Générale have all invested in Beijing. Singapore is the next most popular Asian destination, with $704.02m invested from 2003 to October 2011.

Recorded investment into both Hong Kong and Shanghai increased substantially in 2011 compared with 2010, with investment into Hong Kong quadrupling in the first 10 months of 2011 compared with 2010.