London financiers looking eastward

At 8:00 am every day, the London Stock Exchange opens its trading market with clustered real-time stock prices projected across its central screen, and another busy day starts for the city's bankers, lawyers and traders.

For hundreds of years, this has been the familiar pace of life in the City of London. But unbeknownst to many, a subtle change has swept over London's capital markets as bankers and traders are increasingly looking east to connect with B&R opportunities, a trend exacerbated by uncertainties caused by Britain's pending departure from the EU.

"Countries along the routes need to invest trillions of US dollars in developing their infrastructure in the years ahead. Financing the Belt and Road is a huge endeavor," said Ian Stuart, CEO of HSBC UK.