Making it big in the US is tough for any European services firm. Just ask the investment banks.

After decades of trying, it has become increasingly clear that the only way for foreigners to win a place at the investment banking top table in the US is to buy a firm that is already sitting there. And even then success is far from guaranteed. The one bank that appears to have pulled it off is Barclays, thanks to its acquisition of Lehman Brothers in 2008.