International Financial Services District

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The International Financial Services District (IFSD) is a ten year project within the city of Glasgow in Scotland to create a highly attractive inward investment location for leading international financial services companies and a re-location option for existing Glasgow-based companies, seeking to expand their operations.

Prior to the launch of the IFSD in 2001, the long-term decline of the shipbuilding and warehousing industries had resulted in a neglected infrastructure in Glasgow’s west city centre area, otherwise known as the Broomielaw. The result was a small number of isolated modern offices, standing adjacent to derelict land and vacant dilapidated buildings.

Planning led by Scottish Enterprise Glasgow and Glasgow City Council, aimed to create a new, dynamic focus for the area’s regeneration, through the establishment of the IFSD.This was an important development of Glasgow’s financial services sector, which, with 28,000 employees, was recognised as vital to the city’s economic fortunes. In order to develop a fully serviced financial services district and exploit its long term potential, significant investment was required to create the right environment.

Since the launch of the IFSD, over 14000 jobs have been committed to the area. This includes several of the world’s leading financial companies who now have a presence in Glasgow - Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, esure, Goldfish, BNP Paribas and Barclays Stockbrokers. During 2005, Clydesdale Bank, ACCA, SQA, Learning Teaching Scotland, Aon Corporation, Direct Line, First Data and Weir Group were among the organisations confirming plans to take up space in the District.

A constant stream of new buildings has rapidly appeared in the IFSD since 2001, with many more in the pipeline. There is talk^{[citation needed]} of a new high rise cluster in the Charing Cross area, the first phase of this being the 40-storey Elphinstone Place building, which has begun construction in 2007.

The Aurora building in the IFSD has won several UK wide awards as large scale specualtive office building.

It is planned to be served by Clyde Fastlink.