Qingdao has been included in the Global Financial Center Index (GFCI) for the first time, ranking 79, according to Qingdao Daily on April 10.

It is the 19th time the GFCI has been released, having been first published by the Z/Yen Group in March 2007. The index aims to evaluate the major financial centers globally in terms of competitiveness, taking into account many aspects such as business environment, financial development and infrastructure.

With a maximum score available of 1,000 points, GFCI carried out a questionnaire survey among 2,520 experts specialized in financial industry and finally ranked the top 86 cities.

London and New York still take the first two places in the latest edition with China's Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen all included on the list.