Labuan Highlights Specialised Financial Centre Status After Climbing To 44th In Global Index
An October announcement highlights September rankings alongside the financial centre's earlier operating results.
Labuan's international financial centre has moved into the specialised-centre category of the Global Financial Centres Index, as its promotional agency uses an improved global ranking to highlight cross-border insurance, Islamic finance and wealth-management services.
Labuan IBFC Inc. set out the position in an Oct. 13 announcement. The centre ranks 44th among 117 assessed financial centres in GFCI 40, an improvement of 11 places from the previous edition.
The ranking was published in September, rather than newly calculated on Oct. 13. The latest announcement brings renewed attention to Labuan's classification and business strategy, while the index publisher's release supplies the date and methodology of the underlying assessment.
The centre progressed from 60th to 55th and then 44th over three consecutive editions, the Labuan IBFC Inc. announcement said. It described a move from International Contender to Specialised Centre, linked to captive insurance, Islamic finance, digital financial services and wealth management.
The agency, which markets the jurisdiction, said its international outreach has focused on Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. Its assessment of Labuan's strengths is the jurisdiction's own promotional account and should be read alongside the index's independent methodology.
What The Index Measures
GFCI 40 was released on Sept. 16 by Z/Yen Group with the China Development Institute, according to the publisher's announcement. It combines assessments from financial-services professionals with quantitative factors to rate financial centres.
The edition used 39,531 assessments submitted by 6,147 professionals. The publisher said ratings change as both the survey assessments and other inputs change, making the index an evolving comparison rather than a permanent designation.
New York remained first, followed by London, with Hong Kong and Singapore close behind. Average ratings rose 0.8% across the centres, while the Asia-Pacific average increased 1.48%.
Asked which policy areas centres should prioritise over the next five years, respondents most frequently identified digital infrastructure, attracting fintech and digital-asset businesses, stronger anti-money-laundering and financial-crime frameworks, and deeper capital markets.
A ranking is therefore a competitiveness indicator built from several inputs. It is not a substitute for the regulatory approval needed to operate a financial business, and it does not measure the safety or return of a particular investment product.
Business Growth Provides A Separate Reference
Labuan FSA released its 2025 market report on April 28, providing an earlier account of the centre's operating scale. Total industry assets rose 13% to US$94 billion and capitalisation increased 32.3% to US$22.5 billion, according to the report's launch covered by Bernama.
The centre issued 41 new licences during the year, bringing licensed entities to 808. New company incorporations and registrations increased 5.1%, with 4,971 operating companies reported.
Banking profitability rose to US$665.7 million, while Islamic banking assets expanded 35.2% to US$2.2 billion. Insurance gross premiums increased 5.8% to US$2.5 billion. These are sector-level results for 2025, not forecasts for 2026 or outcomes caused by the September ranking.
The regulator's own market-report announcement identifies conventional banking, insurance and capital markets alongside specialised areas as parts of the centre's development.
For Labuan, the ranking and operating figures offer two different reference points: international perceptions of competitiveness and the size and performance of its financial-services ecosystem. Keeping those measures separate gives a clearer view of the progress described in the latest announcement.