Business & Financial Services
Fife has a long history within the financial and business
services sector.
With over 19,000 people across Fife employed in this sector, it encompasses financial intermediation, contact and service centres, real estate and property services.
Adam Smith's legacy
Adam Smith is one of the region’s most famous sons and his economic theories continue to play a role in the global economy. Smith is widely accepted as the 'father of modern economics' thanks to his work 'The Wealth of Nations'.
His influence can be seen in Fife today with several multi-national companies being based in the area. These include Lloyds Banking Group, Nationwide Building Society and BSkyB. The high quality of life in Fife is a draw for many entrepreneurs, small and medium enterprises, and larger companies in the financial and business services sectors.
Edinburgh's influence
One of the key attractions is the proximity to the Edinburgh City region. The capital of Scotland is the UK’s second largest financial centre and has more FTSE 100 headquarters than any other UK city outside of London. It is on the doorstep of Fife and its particular strengths in banking, insurance and investment are a real benefit to the area. Some of the largest financial services sector companies have their headquarters in Edinburgh include the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Standard Life, AEGON UK, Scottish Widows, Baillie Gifford and Tesco Personal Finance.
