Like queuing, tea with milk and warm beer, corporate broking is regarded by many as a uniquely British phenomenon. The archetypal image of the silver-tongued, public school-educated broker in a pin-stripe suit may be something of an anachronism, but corporate brokers, who help smooth relations between a company and its investors, remain an integral part of the London market.

Outside the UK only a handful of companies have ever retained the services of a corporate broker. Other companies prefer instead to pick and choose advisers when they need them, and rely on their own in-house investor relations teams to manage relations with shareholders. Charles Wilkinson, co-head of UK corporate broking at Deutsche Bank, said: "There are a number of structural and historical reasons why corporate broking has built up in the UK and continues to be such a valued service amongst UK corporates."