Evolution Group is aiming to increase its market share of London share trading to an ambitious 5% by the end of the year, after the UK investment bank and asset manager's pre-tax profits last year surged to £21.1m (€23.5m) from barely profitable levels a year earlier.

Investment banking provided the bulk of the profits, at £18.5m, with the broker's equities and fixed-income businesses each contributing record revenues of about £35m.