- New figures show Mayor and capital’s growth agency London & Partners secured more than £677m through trade and investment in last financial year
- Mayor for London says recent UK trade deals means 'there has never been a better time to invest in the capital'
- London’s total economic output is £531bn – more than 20 per cent of the entire UK economy
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has declared that June is set to be the ‘biggest ever’ month for business and investment in London with SXSW London, 2025 Concordia Europe Summit, London Tech Week, and London Climate Action Week all set to hit the capital next month.
June will see these four major, international business events taking place in London with thousands of dealmakers, CEOs, entrepreneurs, innovators and creatives from all over the world coming to the capital, further cementing London’s reputation as a global economic, cultural and technological powerhouse.
On the back of the recent economic deals agreed between the UK Government and India, US and E.U, the Mayor believes ‘there has never been a better time to invest in the capital.’ He will today declare - ‘The political climate causing uncertainty for businesses in the US and our Government’s success in forging new deals with our biggest trading partners now provides a huge opportunity for our pro-growth, pro investment capital city.’
Today the Mayor also revealed that he has helped to deliver a £677m boost to the capital’s economy through trade and investment in the last financial year. New data released today reveals that the programme set up by the Mayor’s growth agency, London & Partners’ (L&P), to help technology businesses expand internationally has generated £484m for London’s economy.*
An additional £134m has been achieved by L&P through Foreign Direct Investment - international businesses expanding into London. This is the highest amount secured by L&P in a single year, creating up to 5,000 new jobs over the next three years. In total, L&P has helped support 110 international businesses expand into London in the last year. Almost £60m has also been secured from events coming to the capital. This means that overall, the trade and investment secured by L&P in the last year is the equivalent to around nine per cent of London’s average annual economic growth over the past decade.
London is the engine of the UK economy. In real terms, London’s total economic output was £531bn in 2023. This is more than 20 per cent of the entire UK economy, and almost the same as the combined economies of South East and North West of England.
- SXSW London (June 2 to 7) – the inaugural European edition of this iconic festival is the meeting place for the tech, media, and creative industries, bringing together future-thinking leaders and creatives from around the world. SXSW London will present inspiring innovators and creatives including Sir Demis Hassabis (Co-Founder, Google DeepMind), Ben Lamm (Founder & CEO, Colossal Biosciences)
- 2025 Concordia Europe Summit (June 8 to 10) – an invitation-only summit of global business executives and political leaders that will discuss the best way to deliver growth across various sectors of the economy and examine the pivotal role of financial institutions in fostering entrepreneurship. Notable speakers are expected to include Francesca Carlesi, UK CEO, Revolut; Cherie Blair, Co-Founder and Chair Omnia Strategy LLP and H.E. Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic Former President of Croatia.
- London Tech Week (June 9 to 13) – the biggest tech event of its kind in Europe, bringing together the innovators creating the technologies of the future, the investors who fund them, and the enterprise tech leaders who adopt them. Notable attendees include, Jimmy Wales, Founder of Wikipedia, Mark Read, CEO, WPP, May Habib, Founder, Writer and Melanie Dawes, CEO, Ofcom.
- London Climate Action Week (Jun 21 to 29) – bringing together businesses, politicians, NGOs, world-leading climate professionals, and communities across London and beyond to find practical solutions to climate change
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: "London is the best city for business in the world – an economic and cultural powerhouse bristling with creativity, innovation and enterprise.
"We are the engine of the UK economy – the top destination in Europe for inward investment, and a top two global financial centre.
"The political climate causing uncertainty for businesses in the US and our Government’s success in forging new deals with our biggest trading partners now provides a huge opportunity for our pro-growth, pro investment capital city.
"Many of the world’s best business leaders, innovators and creatives heading to London this June, and there has never been a better time to invest in the capital."
Laura Citron OBE, CEO of London & Partners, said: “Global competition is tough and getting tougher – whether it’s competition for London to win investment or competition for our entrepreneurs to build global companies.
“That’s why at London & Partners we are so focused on what genuinely creates growth. Last year, we directly helped London companies to win nearly half a billion pounds of new international deals. And we landed over 100 international tech companies – many of which wouldn’t have picked London without us.
“For every £1 of public investment into our organisation, we generate £27 in the London economy. But more importantly, we’re unlocking good growth for London and for Londoners. Growth that supports jobs, strengthens businesses, and keeps our city one of the most exciting and investible places in the world.”
Max Alexander, CEO of SXSW London, said: “SXSW London is honoured to be part of ‘Investment Month’ and to contribute to London’s continued success as a leading global destination for investment and innovation. Launching the first European edition of this iconic brand in London reflects the city’s unique strengths as a centre for exceptional creativity, technology, and international collaboration. This June, SXSW London will gather the boldest minds in tech, media and the creative industries to drive ideas, deals and ultimately growth. There’s truly no better place to shape what’s next.”
Matthew Swift, Co-Founder, President & CEO, Concordia, said: “On behalf of the Concordia Leadership Council, I am absolutely thrilled that we are coming to London, which was a very clear choice as the location for our 2025 Concordia Europe Summit. London is a hub for finance, innovation, and diplomacy, and it is the perfect setting to convene leaders from the public and private sectors.”
Carolyn Dawson OBE, CEO of Founders Forum Group, said: “London has long been the gateway to the UK’s dynamic tech ecosystem – a launchpad for innovation, investment and impact. As we celebrate ‘Investment Month’ and welcome leaders from around the world to London Tech Week, the ambition, momentum, and energy surrounding UK tech is palpable. Building the future of our ecosystem is a collective mission – it takes a Tech Nation of innovators, investors, and entrepreneurs to turn bold ideas into global powerhouses and it's great to see the capital champion this collaboration at a defining moment for UK tech."
Howard Dawber, Deputy Mayor of London for Business and Growth, said: “Now is the time to invest in London. Across the next month, all eyes will be fixed on London for some of the leading global business events. With a pro-Growth Government, exciting new trade deals that will boost key sectors and the unbeatable, entrepreneurial spirit of London, June will showcase our great city to the business world in all its glory.”
This series of events follows the publication of the London Growth Plan earlier this year which aims to turbocharge economic growth, increase prosperity across the capital and spearhead investment and promotion.
The plan aims to restore productivity growth to an average of two per cent a year in the next decade, which would make London’s economy £107bn larger by 2035 and put an extra £11,000 on average in the pockets of the near-nine million Londoners. This would also mean the capital contributing an extra £27.5bn in taxes to the Treasury in 2035, providing vital revenues for investment in public services.
Since the Growth Plan was published in February, London’s economy has gone from strength to strength with the British Library confirming plans for its £1.1 billion investment to further cement London’s reputation as a global leader for innovative research and a thriving cultural hub. In addition, tech company Monday.com has opened it’s largest European office in London and the Mayor has announced more than £10m into the capital’s creative and cultural industries, helping to generate more than £2.5bn for the capital’s economy.
In addition, the Mayor has invested £500,000 to kick-start the development of the Quantum Technology Cluster to ensure the capital supports cutting-edge innovation. He has also created the High Streets for All Challenge to help boost local areas, which is investing £21m to support businesses and town centre regeneration in boroughs across the capital.
In the last month the Government has also announced trade deals with the US and India and a Brexit reset agreement with the EU, boosting sectors like construction and hospitality and enhancing London and the UK’s leading position as a place to invest.
One company that has benefited from L&P’s programme to help high-growth technology businesses expand internationally - Grow London Global - is a London-based digital health company that was able to land a new partnership and investment deal following a trade mission to Japan.
An example of an international company that has expanded into London is US-based AI company Symbolica AI. The company was recently named one of the top 100 emerging artificial intelligence companies. Thanks to support from London & Partners, Symbolica AI was able to quickly establish itself in the capital, receiving valuable advice and introductions from day one. Now, the company has an office in Old Street and is recruiting top artificial intelligence and machine learning experts from London, Cambridge, and Oxford.
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