By Daniel Hunter
More than 8,000 jobs were created in Wales' financial and professional services in 2013, according to figures from TheCityUK.
The independent body representing the industries found that Cardiff created 2,000 jobs, making it fastest growing city in the UK for jobs in the financial services industry.
The 8,000 new jobs took the total number in Wales to 59,900, just below the pre-crisis peak of 61,300.
The figures don't include updates for 2014, but several announcements of new jobs in the sector were made during the year and at the start of 2015, painting a positive picture for the financial services sector in Wales.
TheCityUK report also claimed that the sector is worth £4 billion a year to the Wales economy, with that figure expected to have risen since.
Chief executive of TheCityUK, Chris Cummings, said: “Financial and related professional services bring significant benefits to the national and local economies and Wales has a growing reputation for providing high quality professional services and support functions.
