Goldman Sachs, which was voted top European investment bank at this year's Financial News Awards for Excellence in Investment Banking, also claimed most of the plaudits in the European equity sector this year, where it ousted UBS to win two of the top three awards.

The US bank took the title of best equity capital markets house in Europe, well ahead of its second-placed Swiss rival, which won last year. Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch took the next two spots, ahead of Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan.