Deutsche Bank’s acquisition of Baltimore investment bank Alex Brown in 1999 heralded the German firm’s push into US M&A. This year, more than a decade later, Deutsche Bank broke into the top five list of advisers in the country for the first time.

The bank was placed fifth in the US M&A league tables for the year to June 30, compared to 11th at the same time last year, according to Dealogic, joining a cast of well-established rivals at the top of the rankings.