Royal Bank of Scotland has jumped seven places in Thomson Financial's six-month ranking of advisers in the European bond market, moving from 12th in the first half of 2005, to fifth for the same period this year, according to preliminary figures from the data provider.

The top three banks at this stage last year retain their positions for the six months to the end of June. Deutsche Bank leads the field, with Citigroup in second and Barclays Capital in third.