Grow London: How London is primed for success in an era of rapid change

Built for growth

Our analysis finds that London already provides the platform ‘frontier’ industries need to thrive. Benchmarked against a pool of 12 global peer cities, London consistently ranks among the highest for quality of talent, diversity of capital raising pathways, and scale of innovative ecosystems. With clusters of frontier firms sharing knowledge and efficiencies, and a stable institutional environment underpinning it, London is primed to nurture innovative firms to success.

Technology as a vehicle for change 

London's technology sector does not just grow in isolation. As new tools advance, they spread into other industries, lifting productivity across the wider economy. Ranking second globally for the concentration of AI patents*, the Capital is leading in developing technologies that can accelerate innovation, support early adoption, and deliver future productivity gains across finance, science and research, and beyond.

_{*of the cities considered within our analysis}

Stronger productivity, stronger growth 

Our analysis suggests that accelerated productivity growth across London’s ‘frontier’ industries could deliver £40bn of additional GVA across London in 2030, with the Finance sector contributing up to £28bn. Realising this opportunity will require action from businesses - adopting AI with intent, investing in people-skills, and forming new partnerships across sectors highlighted as vital within the Government’s Industrial Strategy.

Back London, support the UK 

When London succeeds the benefits reach far beyond the Capital. Through national supply chains, distribution of foreign direct investment (FDI), knowledge spillovers and many other channels, stronger productivity in London supports economic growth across the country. We estimate that the total annual national benefit from stronger productivity across London’s ‘frontier’ industries could reach £76bn by 2030.