Financial technology
6th largest international financial centre in North America, Montréal is a strategic commercial hub linking North America and Europe. Renowned for its expertise in funds management, the presence of well-established financial institutions, diversified risk capital options and internationally-recognized banking stability, Montréal has also emerged as a major player in the global fintech space.
A thriving financial sector
The more than 3,000 financial organizations based in the city employ over 100,000 skilled workers, 25,000 of whom are financial specialists. Finance Montréal unites the sector into a cluster of forward-thinking organizations all dedicated to the growth and development of the city’s financial scene. Several influential financial institutions are active in Montréal, including the Desjardins Group, the National Bank of Canada, the TD Bank Group, the BMO Financial Group and Power Corporation of Canada.
The next generation of financial leaders
Consistently ranking as one of the best student cities in North America, Montréal boasts 31,000+ students enrolled in Finance, IT and Banking related programs with 10,000 graduates in the field. No less than 30 university research units specializing in sectors such as derivatives, investment advisory and portfolio management, financial engineering, pension fund management, mathematical and computational finance, financial ethics, financial crime prevention and e-finance also mark our graduates as highly specialized – and highly employable – local assets.
An amazing playground for fintechs:
Leading tech innovation hub, Greater Montréal is now making its mark as a key player in North America’s fintech industry. With its innovative business community and exciting start-up scene, Montréal is ranked as the world’s largest ecosystem for cryptocurrency & blockchain start-ups. Chosen as headquarters for SCALE AI, the only Canadian AI supercluster, the city also fuels fintech innovation with specialized accelerators and incubators:
- Holt Accelator: specialized in FinTech and AI
- Station Fintech Montréal: specialized in digital transformation for major financial institutions
- Catallaxy: specialized in blockchain and cryptoassets
Made in Montréal fintech innovations
- Lightspeed: Point of Sale (POS) disruptor with a market value of almost US$2 billion. In 2019, the company was named innovator of the year by the Canadian Innovation Exchange conference.
- Mobeewave: Pioneer in contactless mobile card payment, the Montréal fintech created a patented solution to allow anyone to easily and securely accept payment.
- Blockstream: Co-founded by Montréal entrepreneur Austin Hill, Blockstream, is a pioneer in Bitcoin and blockchain technologies.
Major financial institutions headquartered in Montréal
- The Montréal Stock Exchange (MX)
- La Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec
- Power Corporation of Canada
- National Bank
- Laurentian Bank
The Montréal exchange (MX) is Canada’s oldest stock exchange and is the only financial derivatives exchange in Canada.
Major events
- 7th Canada Fintech Forum
Attendance: 3000 - The One National Conference, Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA)
Attendance: 1500 - Annual national conference, Canadian Tax Foundation
Attendance: 1000
