The UK financial market, centred on London as one of the world’s top global hubs alongside New York and Tokyo, is a mature and diverse ecosystem contributing about 8.8% to the national GDP (£208 billion in recent data). It encompasses the FTSE 100 index of blue-chip equities (often undervalued internationally, with strong dividend yields and buyback activity), a robust bond market featuring gilts (government securities) and index-linked variants, a thriving foreign exchange arena, and a derivatives exchange via ICE Futures Europe.