▲ BIFC(부산국제금융센타) 전경   ©배종태 기자

[브레이크뉴스=배종태 기자] 부산시는 세계 주요 도시의 금융 경쟁력 측정 대표 지수인 '국제금융센터지수' 평가에서 119개국 중 24위에 올랐으며, 역대 최고 점수인 728점을 기록했다고 밝혔다.

영국 글로벌 싱크탱크 컨설팅그룹 지옌(Z/YEN)사는 전 세계 119개 도시를 분석한 ‘국제금융센터지수((GFCI: Global Financial Centres Index, GFCI) 37차 보고서’를 한국 시간으로 20일 오후 6시(현지시간 20일 오전 9시)에 발표했다.

이번 금융 순위는 아시아권에서는 홍콩, 싱가포르, 상하이, 두바이, 도쿄 등에 이어 9위다. 2015년 이후의 평가 중 최고 성적이다. 또한 2023년 3월(37위) 대비 무려 13계단 상승했으며, 지난해 상반기부터 3회 연속 20위권에 안착했다.

시는 금융환경이 어려운 대내외 여건 속에서도 시가 상승세를 유지하고 있는 이유가 지난해 6월 정부로부터 부산이 '금융기회발전특구'로 지정돼 본격적으로 국내외 금융기업들을 유인하는 계기를 마련하고, 부산을 서울과 함께 대한민국의 양대 축으로 발전시키기 위한 '글로벌 허브도시 특별법' 등 글로벌 금융중심지로서의 부산 성장에 대한 기대감이 직·간접적으로 반영된 것으로 보인다고 밝혔다.

시는 이번 순위 상승은 지난해 하반기 '3천억 원 규모의 ‘미래성장벤처펀드’ 조성, 향후 9년간 2조 3천억 원 펀드를 조성할 '부산 산업전환 녹색펀드' , 창업전담기관인 부산기술창업투자원 설립 등 그간 추진해 온 시의 다양한 창업 노력의 성과를 인정받은 것으로 예측한다.[

또한, 시는 이번 '핀테크 지수'에서도 글로벌 115개 금융도시 중 23위를 차지해 전 평가 대비 3계단 상승했으며, 디지털 금융도시로서의 면모를 갖춘 것으로 평가받았다. 

이는 대한민국 유일의 블록체인 규제자유특구로 민간 주도의 공공성을 갖춘 부산디지털자산거래소가 지난해 12월 출범해 새로운 디지털 금융의 신성장동력을 마련하고, 지역 금융의 새바람을 일으킨 데 기인한 것으로 보여진다.

특히, 부산국제금융센터(BIFC) 3단계 사업이 올해 12월 완공 예정으로, 4차 산업 기술 기반의 금융기술(핀테크)·블록체인·인공지능(AI) 등 디지털 금융기업과 투자·보증 기능을 집적한 ‘디지털 금융 밸리’로의 특화 개발에 박차를 가하고 있다.

박형준 시장은 “부산 글로벌 금융 허브 조성을 위해 디지털자산거래소 본격 출범 등 디지털 금융 발전과 활성화에 선택과 집중을 해 나가겠다”라며, “'금융기회발전특구' 지정을 계기로 기업과 사람, 자본이 모여드는 선순환 구조를 만들고, 파격적인 인센티브, 규제 특례 부여와 함께 물류·금융·첨단산업 분야 기업 유치를 위한 '글로벌 허브도시 특별법'을 조속히 통과시켜 2030년까지 글로벌 20위, 아시아 5위권에 진입하도록 하겠다”라고 밝혔다.

아래는 위 기사를 '구글 번역'으로 번역한 영문 기사의 [전문]<*The following is [the full text] of the English article translated by 'Google Translate'.

Busan City announced that it ranked 24th out of 119 countries in the 'Global Financial Centers Index', a representative index measuring the financial competitiveness of major cities around the world, and recorded its highest score ever, 728 points. British global think tank consulting group Z/YEN announced the 37th report of the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI), which analyzed 119 cities around the world, at 6 PM on the 20th (9 AM on March 20th, local time).

This financial ranking is 9th in Asia, following Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, Dubai, and Tokyo. It is the highest score among evaluations since 2015. It also rose a whopping 13 places compared to March 2023 (37th place), and has been ranked in the top 20 for three consecutive times since the first half of last year.

The reason why the city is maintaining an upward trend despite the difficult financial environment at home and abroad is that Busan was designated as a 'Financial Opportunity Development Special Zone' by the government in June of last year (2024), which provided an opportunity to attract domestic and foreign financial companies in earnest and to develop Busan into one of the two major axes of the Republic of Korea along with Seoul as a 'global The city stated that expectations for Busan's growth as a global financial center, such as the 'Hub City Special Act', were directly and indirectly reflected.

The city predicts that this rise in rankings is recognition of the city's various startup efforts that have been promoted so far, such as the establishment of the 'Future Growth Venture Fund' worth 300 billion won in the second half of last year, the 'Busan Industrial Transition Green Fund' that will establish a fund of 2.3 trillion won over the next 9 years, and the establishment of the Busan Technology Startup Investment Center, a startup-dedicated organization. [

In addition, the city ranked 23rd out of 115 global financial cities in this 'Fintech Index', rising 3 places from the previous evaluation, and was evaluated as having the appearance of a digital financial city.

This seems to be due to the launch of the Busan Digital Asset Exchange, the only blockchain regulatory-free special zone in Korea with a public nature led by the private sector, in December of last year, creating a new growth engine for digital finance and bringing a breath of fresh air to local finance.

In particular, the Busan International Finance Center (BIFC) Phase 3 project was launched in December of this year. Scheduled for completion, the city is accelerating the specialized development of a ‘digital finance valley’ that integrates digital finance companies and investment and guarantee functions such as financial technology (fintech), blockchain, and artificial intelligence (AI) based on the 4th industrial revolution.

Mayor Park Hyung-joon said, “In order to create a global financial hub in Busan, we will select and focus on the development and activation of digital finance, including the full-scale launch of a digital asset exchange,” and “We will create a virtuous cycle structure where companies, people, and capital gather by designating the ‘Financial Opportunity Development Special Zone,’ and we will quickly pass the ‘Global Hub City Special Act’ to attract companies in the logistics, finance, and advanced industries along with unprecedented incentives and regulatory exceptions, so that Busan can enter the top 20 in the world and the top 5 in Asia by 2030.”