As a city of innovation with a rich startup scene, deep roots in tech and organizations like the Montréal Fintech Station incubator and the AMF-Finance Montréal Research Chair, Montréal has become a true fintech centre, attracting landmark international events like 2024’s Canada Fintech Forum — with more to come.
Knowledge and research in the field
With four major universities in the city, Montréal is a leading city of knowledge with more than 36,000+ students enrolled in finance-related programs and 26,000+ students enrolled in IT programs.
Providing these students, researchers and developers with a leading edge in fintech education, the ESG UQAM (the École des sciences de la gestion of Université du Québec à Montréal) and its AMF-Finance Montréal Research Chair allocates funds and support to universities across Québec working in fintech developments and research. Prominent business schools in the city also include the Hautes Études Commerciales Montréal (aka HEC), Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business and McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management.
A hub of fintech innovation
Housed in architect I. M. Pei’s iconic Place Ville Marie, the Montréal Fintech Station offers 25,000 square feet of office and meeting space for fintech-related startups to flourish and interact under the same roof.
More than just an incubator of new fintech companies, the Montréal Fintech Station’s activities serve to create new investment opportunities, enhance the fintech ecosystem’s economic spin-offs and accelerate the digital transformation of major financial institutions, activities sure to set the tower — and world — abuzz.
Montréal’s fintech edge
Montréal is home to over 3,800+ financial companies employing over 140,000+ skilled workers. And 2025’s Global Financial Centers Index ranks the city ahead of other major players like Mumbai, Abu Dhabi, Berlin, Melbourne and Vancouver.
As the financial epicentre of the province of Québec, all financial sectors are well-represented in the city: banks and other financial intermediaries, insurance companies and securities, pension funds and asset management consulting all play a part. Attractive tax credits and incentives have brought many players both big and small to Montréal, coupled with some of the most competitive operating costs in North America: there’s an average 36% cost advantage for fintech operations here compared to the 20 largest metropolitan areas in Canada and the U.S.
With its sights firmly set on the future, the city is home to an exciting start-up scene which includes trendsetters like Lightspeed, Nuvei and Blockstream. Montréal is also home to SCALE AI, the only Canadian AI supercluster, as well as the Montréal Exchange, Canada’s oldest stock exchange.
Montréal stands out on the financial scene for its expertise in funds management, the presence of well-established financial institutions, diversified risk capital options and internationally recognized banking stability — while the city’s world-leading role as an AI and tech innovation hub puts the city at the forefront of global fintech developments and research.
Read this next: Sustainable Finance Summit capitalizes on Montréal expertise
