Deutsche Bank drops down investment bank table while Barclays gains ground

Deutsche Bank has fallen below its US rivals in a ranking of investment banks in Europe, adding to the under-fire German lender’s woes.

Citigroup and Goldman Sachs both jumped above Deutsche Bank in a ranking of the world’s investment banks at the end of last year.

JP Morgan maintained the top spot in both the global rankings – with $25.2bn (£19.3bn) – and in Europe, while Barclays continued to gain ground through its investment banking push.

Volatile markets at the end of 2018 led to the world’s biggest investment banks reporting significant revenue drops.

Deutsche Bank was the second best performing investment bank in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region in 2017 but dropped to fourth last year, according to industry monitor Coalition.

The data comes after Germany’s largest lender began exploratory merger talks with rival Commerzbank earlier this week after months of speculation.

The German government, concerned over the bank’s health, has pushed for the potential merger to protect the country’s banking sector.

Barclays, which has seen its investment banking division come under pressure in recent years, climbed from eighth to sixth in terms of EMEA revenue, and rose one place to sixth globally.

The UK bank has been fending off activist investor Ed Bramson’s calls for its investment banking division to be scaled back.

Bramson, whose investment vehicle Sherborne Investors has a 5.5 per cent stake in Barclays, has pushed for a seat on the board after feeling his concerns were being ignored.