Morgan Stanley has promoted twice as many of its investment bankers in Europe to the rank of managing director than it did a year ago, according to people familiar with the matter, as names from the 151-strong class of 2015 begin to emerge.

The US bank last week appointed new MDs across its global business as part of an annual round of promotions. The total number was down slightly from a year ago and, so far, the bank has not disclosed the names of those on the list.