In late November 2008 Citigroup was days away from collapse. But a little more than two years, $45bn of US taxpayers’ cash, and $30bn of losses later, the US banking giant is back on its feet and looking to make up for lost time and lost ground, particularly in its securities and investment banking business.

Last month the US government made its final exit - booking a tidy profit of more than $12bn - and Citigroup reported its first annual profit since 2007, and the bank is concentrating on "positioning the company for future growth".