World Alliance of International Financial Centers

What World Alliance of International Financial Centers does

The World Alliance of International Financial Centers (WAIFC) is an international non-profit association (AISBL) registered in Brussels, Belgium, that operates as a global collaboration platform for leading international financial centers. Founded in 2018 by eleven financial centers and headquartered at 208 Avenue Louise, Brussels, the alliance has grown to 29+ member financial centers spanning Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas. Its members are government agencies, financial center authorities, federations, and promotion bodies that develop and promote international financial centers.

WAIFC's core offerings comprise publications and research reports (including a 2026 report on AI in financial services co-published with Abu Dhabi Global Market), Annual General Meetings rotating across member cities (Frankfurt 2025, Busan 2026), regional chapters (EU Roundtable of Financial Centers established 2021; Africa Roundtable of Financial Centres established 2024), expert workshops, webinars, and the Young Academic Award research competition. The organization is supported by a lean team (1-10 employees), a Managing Director (Dr. Jochen Biedermann), a Chair (Lamia Merzouki, Casablanca Finance City), and a Vice Chair (Hubertus Väth, Frankfurt Main Finance), with governance exercised through a Board of Directors elected at AGMs.

WAIFC is funded primarily through recurring membership fees paid by member financial centers, supplemented by event and publication activities; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Its go-to-market is event-driven and community-led, anchored by an 11-language multilingual website, active social channels (LinkedIn, X, Instagram, YouTube), and recurring participation in major industry forums including SIBOS, Money20/20, Asian Financial Forum, and Dubai Fintech Summit.

Name

World Alliance of International Financial Centers

Legal name

World Alliance of International Financial Centers (WAIFC) AISBL

Website

https://waifc.finance

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WAIFC is a Brussels-based international non-profit association founded in 2018 that serves as a global collaboration platform for 29+ member international financial centers, providing publications, AGMs, regional roundtables, and research on AI, sustainable finance, and fintech.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Services Industry Association

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Finance Services (6199), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSABAEAL

Federations/Centrals & Cooperative Banking Networks (2nd-Tier Co-ops)

Financial & Insurance/Banking (Commerical, Retail & Consumer)/Community & Cooperative Banking (Credit Unions, Mutuals)

SECONDARYBPADAOAH

Debt Relief, Restructuring & Sovereign Financing Support

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Donor Coordination, Grantmaking & Development Finance Programs

Keywords

• International financial centers
• Financial services association
• Sustainable finance research
• Financial center collaboration
• Cross-border financial dialogue

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: WAIFC operates as a non-profit association (AISBL) registered in Belgium. The alliance consists of member organizations (governments agencies, associations, and similar institutions) that develop and promote their financial centers. Revenue is generated through membership contributions from 29+ global financial centers.
2. Event and Publication Revenue: Revenue generated from hosting Annual General Meetings, regional roundtables, webinars, and producing research publications and newsletters for member organizations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

WAIFC is a non-profit international association that operates as a membership platform for 29 international financial centers across four continents. Its core offerings center on facilitating cooperation among member financial centers through publications and research reports, Annual General Meetings, regional roundtables (EU and Africa), expert workshops and webinars, the Young Academic Award program, and a monthly newsletter, addressing topics such as AI in financial services, sustainable finance, fintech, and talent development.

Product overview

WAIFC is a non-profit association (AISBL) registered in Belgium, representing 21 leading international financial centers across four continents. Rather than a unified software product, WAIFC provides a platform for collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and best practice exchange among financial center development agencies and associations. Its offerings include publications and research reports on financial services topics (AI adoption, sustainable finance, fintech, SME financing), organized events including Annual General Meetings and regional roundtables, the WAIFC Young Academic Award research competition, and a monthly newsletter. The organization facilitates international cooperation among governments, regulators, financial institutions, and fintechs through working groups and collaborative projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WAIFC Young Academic Award: Annual award program inviting young academics to submit papers on the future of sustainable and inclusive financial sector
• EU Roundtable of Financial Centers
• Africa Roundtable of Financial Centres

Products and services

• WAIFC Publications Research reports, working papers, and opinion articles published by WAIFC on financial services topics such as AI adoption in financial services, sustainable finance, fintech, SME financing, and financial center development, distributed to member financial centers and the broader public via the multilingual WAIFC website.
• WAIFC Annual General Meetings and Events Annual General Meetings, regional roundtable meetings (EU Roundtable and Africa Roundtable), expert workshops, and webinars convened by WAIFC to bring together financial center leaders, regulators, and industry experts for collaboration and knowledge exchange.
• WAIFC Young Academic Award (YAA) Annual competition inviting young academics to submit research papers on sustainable and inclusive financial sector topics, with selected winners invited to present their work at the WAIFC Annual General Meeting and receive awards and prizes.
• WAIFC Newsletter Monthly newsletter providing updates on WAIFC activities, member news, alliance publications, and developments across participating international financial centers, distributed via subscription and the WAIFC website.
• WAIFC AI in Finance Project Collaborative AI initiative and research output exploring how artificial intelligence is transforming the financial industry across WAIFC member financial centers, producing joint reports and engaging members on use cases including compliance, fraud detection, customer service, and portfolio management.

Quantifiable outcome

• Survey of 12 member jurisdictions on AI adoption in financial services
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 April 2026Collaborative partnership on AI research in financial services. In 2026, WAIFC and ADGM jointly published a report examining AI adoption across 12 member jurisdictions, covering compliance, fraud detection, customer service, and portfolio management applications.
• Global Capacity Building Coalition (GCBC)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 September 2025WAIFC joined the GCBC, a group launched by Michael R. Bloomberg and global leaders to support emerging markets in achieving sustainable finance goals.
• European Investment BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMet with EIB representatives during EU Roundtable inaugural meeting in Luxembourg to discuss strengthening EU financial market competitiveness in post-pandemic recovery.
• European Stability MechanismminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMet with ESM representatives during EU Roundtable inaugural meeting to discuss strengthening EU financial market competitiveness.
• University of Cambridge (Judge Business School)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngagement with Regulatory Genome Project (RGP) and Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation (CCSI) for AI-based regulatory tools and social entrepreneurship discussions.
• FindexableminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for FinTech webinar series discussing regulation, resilience, SMEs, and post-COVID opportunities in global financial centers.
• DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDIFC joined WAIFC in 2021 as the fourth financial center from the GCC. DIFC hosts AGMs and collaborates on fintech, innovation, sustainable finance, and digital economy development.
• EnterpriseNGRcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnterpriseNGR assumed chairmanship of the WAIFC Africa Roundtable in 2025, leading collaboration, innovation, and global competitiveness efforts across African financial centers.
• FC4S (Financial Centres for Sustainability)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint webinar on 'Financial Centers on the Road to COP26' discussing climate finance accessibility and sustainable finance achievements.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• World Economic Forum (WEF): WEF is an established international organization with a much broader mandate that includes financial system governance, AI policy, and sustainable finance. It is comparable as a global convener on financial system topics where WAIFC operates, but operates at vastly greater scale and resource.
• Institute of International Finance (IIF): IIF is a global association of financial institutions producing research, policy advocacy and regulatory engagement. Comparable as a membership-based international finance coordination body, though its members are banks and asset managers rather than financial center development agencies.
• Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA): SIFMA is a major US-headquartered trade association for securities industry participants, producing extensive research and policy engagement. Comparable as a non-profit association producing industry research and convening stakeholders, though member base differs (firms vs. financial center bodies).
• International Capital Market Association (ICMA): ICMA is an industry association for capital market participants operating across borders. Comparable as a non-profit international association serving cross-border financial market participants with standards, research and events, though focused on securities market infrastructure.
• City of London Corporation: The City of London Corporation promotes the City of London as a global financial center through international engagement and policy work. Comparable as an established financial center development body that operates with similar functions to those WAIFC members perform, though it is a single institution rather than a federation.

Emerging players

• Findexable: Findexable produces global fintech rankings and research, including the Global Fintech Index. It is comparable because it targets the same audience of financial center development agencies with comparative research and indices, and is already a WAIFC webinar partner.

Direct peers

• TheCityUK: TheCityUK is the industry body representing UK-based financial and professional services. Comparable as a financial center promotion and policy body operating internationally, with similar functions (research, advocacy, convening) on behalf of a major financial center.
• Financial Centres for Sustainability (FC4S): FC4S is a UN-convened network of financial centres focused on sustainable finance. It is a direct peer because it operates as a membership alliance of international financial centers addressing exactly the same constituency as WAIFC, with overlapping mandate on sustainable finance (and is already an active WAIFC partner).
• Z/Yen Group: Z/Yen publishes the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI) and works directly with international financial centers to benchmark competitiveness. It is comparable because it serves the same institutional buyer (financial center development bodies) with research and ranking products.

Others

• Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils: The GFCC is a network of competitiveness councils and organizations focused on economic competitiveness strategies. It is thematically comparable as a federation of national/regional bodies producing cross-border thought leadership, though its financial center focus is indirect.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/waifc_
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCNAuymoz4k2E_x1nf4504dw/videos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/waifc
• Instagraminstagram.com/WAIFC_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about World Alliance of International Financial Centers