Looks like the World Economic Forum’s very first ranking of the health of the world’s most-developed financial systems (assessing 52 countries) officially puts New York and London in a dead heat. Counties that did not do so well? Venezuela, Nigeria and the Ukraine. Click here for the pluses and minuses of each – plus which other nations ranked within a stone’s throw of the U.S. in the financial development index, being released today.

London's efforts to challenge New York as the dominant financial centre will receive a boost today with a new study by the World Economic Forum showing that the UK ranks alongside the US as the world's most developed financial system.

The US and the UK came out as joint leaders of the WEF's first "financial development index", followed by Germany, Japan, Canada and France.

The index is an attempt to measure the health of the financial systems of 52 countries by looking at factors ranging from the stability of the banking sector to the soundness of the regulatory and political environment.

Venezuela was at the bottom of the index, just below Ukraine and Nigeria, according to the report.

WEF officials say they will present the report, which was led by Nouriel Roubini, the New York university professor, to regulators and bankers around the world over the coming months.

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