From my own observations, financial centres typically act as gateways into more heterogenous or poorly understood regions... like an API gateway of sorts for co

From my own observations, financial centres typically act as gateways into more heterogenous or poorly understood regions... like an API gateway of sorts for countries. London acts as a financial centre for many businesses seeking to do business with EU nations. Hong Kong was historically the financial centre for traders seeking to do business with China. Being a former British colony, they had advantages such as being literate in English and understanding both eastern and western cultures. If indeed globalization has not yet run its course, we may see less and less of a need for these financial centres in the future.