Profits at HSBC rose sharply in the third quarter, with chief executive John Flint saying the bank is starting to deliver on his plans for growth. But the group’s advisory bankers — recently criticised in a stinging anonymous memo — had a more lacklustre quarter.

The UK banking group reported a 16% year-on-year rise in adjusted pre-tax profits, to $6.19bn, on Monday. This is ahead of its previous forecasts. Revenues rose 8.8%, to $13.8bn.