High Tech Industry

Financial Services

As seen in the growth of online banking, ATMs, electronic trading/brokering services and online insurance quotes, technology is transforming the way financial companies interact with their customers.  The region’s supporting IT sector and its steady workforce graduating from some of the best business colleges has become a driving force in building the Corridor’s Financial Services industry.

Dr. Dennis Steindler"Today's e-commerce environment fueled my interests in computing, as well as helped nurture a fascination of how computing solutions can play a major transformational role in business and society."

Balaji Padamanabhan, Anderson Professor of Global Management and Associate Professor of Information Systems and Decision Sciences, University of South Florida

Financial Services activity is especially strong in the Tampa Bay region of the Corridor.  In Hillsborough County, financial services accounts for 7.7 percent of all employment, compared to the national average of 4.4 percent.  The sector’s presence in the Corridor began in 1969 when MetLife built an office in Tampa, followed by other financial services powerhouses such as Citicorp, Chase Manhattan, Saloman Brothers and Raymond James Financial.

Graduate and Bachelor’s programs within the business colleges of the three Corridor universities have consistently ranked among the top of public offerings, with private colleges in the regions receiving national recognition for MBA and entrepreneurship programs.

Numerous companies in the Corridor are advancing the sector by digitizing financial exchanges through online systems and applications, while established groups such as the Florida Venture Forum are working to connect financial capital and investments to support the high tech innovation in the region.