The former chairman of Barclays investment bank in Europe and an ex-Lehman Brothers executive have joined the rush of senior financiers launching blank cheque companies to finance M&A deals.

Makram Azar, who spent nearly eight years at Barclays in a number of senior roles, and former Lehman executive Scott Freidheim are set to raise $250m through an initial public offering via a special purpose acquisition company (Spac) called Golden Falcon Acquisition Corporation, according to US regulatory filing.