Jerry Del Missier, co-chief executive of Barclays Capital, sees plenty of room for growth from equities and advisory after a "challenging year." Analysts, meanwhile, remain sceptical about whether the investment bank can achieve its ambitious return on equity targets.

Del Missier told Financial News: "Our businesses in the US have made big strides this year, and have surpassed the legacy position Lehman held in the States. That is true for cash equity trading, ECM and M&A. There is still room for those businesses to grow wallet share, with new businesses continuing to contribute globally."