ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Trade & Industry devider Colliers names Manila top financial services talent hub outside India

Colliers names Manila top financial services talent hub outside India

Published Jun 17, 2026 02:07 pm

Manila has emerged as the world’s leading domestic and operational center for financial services talent, with real estate consultancy Colliers citing the Philippine capital’s deep pool of skilled workers and growing role as a destination for global capability centers (GCCs) serving major financial institutions worldwide.

In its “Global Financial Services Markets: Top Talent Locations 2026” report published last June 10, Colliers ranked Manila first among domestic and operational centers globally, ahead of India’s Bengaluru and Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur.

The report, which assessed more than 200 markets worldwide, evaluated cities based on labor availability, venture capital (VC) funding, talent pipelines, and financial services industry output to identify the world’s leading financial services talent locations.

Colliers said Manila is “widely recognized as the top GCC location outside of India.” GCCs are captive offshore centers established by multinational companies (MNCs) to handle a range of business functions, from back-office processing and information technology (IT) services to finance, analytics, as well as risk management.

The report said Manila and Bengaluru were the top two domestic and operational centers globally, supported by strong labor market fundamentals as well as access to comparatively low-cost talent.

Among all cities assessed worldwide, Manila posted an overall score of 2.8, matching Guangzhou and surpassing Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Bangkok, as well as several other financial services hubs across Asia.

Colliers classified financial services locations into three categories: global centers, strategic centers, as well as domestic and operational centers. Manila belongs to the latter group, which typically hosts large concentrations of operational, shared-services, and delivery-focused talent supporting financial institutions.

Globally, New York City ranked first overall among financial services talent markets, followed by London and Singapore. Other leading Asia-Pacific financial hubs included Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Mumbai, and Sydney.

While Manila trails these traditional financial centers in overall scale and industry output, Colliers noted that the city remains highly competitive in labor-related indicators and continues to attract hiring activity from financial services firms seeking lower-cost locations without sacrificing access to talent.

The report showed that Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Pune led Asia-Pacific labor-index rankings, reflecting India’s vast financial services workforce. However, Manila stood out in talent density, where it tied with Bengaluru and outperformed larger financial centers such as Tokyo, Guangzhou, Sydney, as well as Pune.

Colliers also found that financial services companies are increasingly posting jobs in Manila, alongside Singapore, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, and Guangzhou, indicating sustained demand for talent in the Philippine capital.

The consultancy said Manila’s position reflects broader shifts in the global financial services industry as firms seek alternatives to high-cost financial capitals and expand operations in locations with strong operational capabilities.

According to the report, cities such as Manila, Bengaluru, Pune, and São Paulo have developed substantial pools of back-office talent as financial institutions increasingly relocate operational functions to lower-cost jurisdictions. However, Colliers noted that the traditional divide between front-office and back-office locations is beginning to blur as technology, artificial intelligence (AI), as well as changing workforce requirements reshape location strategies.

The report said AI is likely to have a significant impact on operational centers, including Manila, as financial institutions automate routine processing functions and back-office activities. At the same time, it noted that locations with strong technology as well as operational talent could benefit as demand shifts toward more advanced digital, cybersecurity, and risk-management capabilities.

Colliers said financial services firms are increasingly making location decisions based on labor-market analytics, talent availability, and long-term workforce considerations, trends that are expected to reinforce the importance of established operational hubs such as Manila in the years ahead.

Related Tags

Colliers Manila
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ static_articles_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.