Goldman Sachs CEO touts Frankfurt for post-Brexit banking

NEW YORK: Goldman Sachs chief executive Lloyd Blankfein took to Twitter to tout Frankfurt’s ‘great’ weather among other attributes, but stopped short of naming the German city as a postBrexit headquarters.

“Just left Frankfurt,” Blankfein said on Twitter.

“Great meetings, great weather, really enjoyed it. Good, because I’ll be spending a lot more time there. #Brexit”

Goldman, unlike some other players in big finance, had not previously announced its plans for its headquarters to cover the European Union once Britain exits the bloc, expected in about two years.

Goldman still has not made a final decision on the matter, said a person familiar with the investment bank’s thinking. Blankfein’s tweet should not be given too much significance, this person added.

Goldman, which has 6,000 employees in Britain, said in March that it planned to shift some workers to the continent and create hundreds of jobs in EU countries.

Frankfurt has already claimed some major financial players as a post-Brexit headquarters, including US investment bank Morgan Stanley and Japanese giants Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Daiwa Securities and Nomura.

British bank Standard Chartered has also picked the German city, which is home to the European Central Bank. — AFP