Goldman Sachs's London staff have been told that they can now have free sex-change surgery and fertility treatments in the latest step to encourage more women to stay with the firm.

The Wall Street bank, nicknamed the "great vampire squid" for its powerful grip on the world's banking -industry, told London staff last week that sex-reassignment surgery and IVF treatment had been added to its -employee benefits plan.

The bank fights to change its reputation as a conservative old boys' club. Credit:AP

The move, announced by chief -executive Richard Gnodde in a staff town-hall meeting, comes as the bank fights to change its reputation as a conservative old boys' club. It is understood that the new perks are aimed at helping "the whole issue of inclusiveness" in the London office.

The new perks come months after the banking giant became the first company in the UK to offer to ship working mothers' breast milk home if they work overseas, while women now make a record 26pc of Goldman's elite partnership class globally.