Britain shrugged off the Brexit vote to remain the main destination for foreign investment in financial services in Europe last year, although Germany and France are proving increasingly attractive to investors following the EU referendum, a new study has found.

The UK’s finance industry drew 99 foreign direct investment projects in 2016, up 5pc on the year and the most for a decade, according to a report by accountancy giant EY.

However, EY said that Germany and France also grew in popularity among overseas investors, with the former attracting 39 financial projects and the latter drawing 25.

For France, that marked a 25pc rise, while Germany enjoyed an 18pc jump.

The continuing lure of Britain for financial services came in the face of the vote to leave the European Union a year ago, which surprised the City and raised fears London could lose its status as Europe’s banking powerhouse.