Royal Bank of Scotland has hired a highly-respected author and market commentator to help oversee its capital structure, as banks juggle maximising returns with complying to new regulation of their balance sheets.

Moorad Choudhry joined Royal Bank of Scotland as head of business treasury on October 1. He has been handed a brief to improve the link between the bank's treasury unit and its banking and markets businesses, ensure compliance with treasury policies and assist in optimising returns.