The City of London is poised to drop more than a century of opposition to companies prominently displaying corporate logos on their offices in the Square Mile to enhance its competitiveness as a global financial centre. A revamped approach under consideration by the City of London Corporation could permit companies to affix their names to the top of their buildings, as is the norm in neighbouring Canary Wharf. Longstanding discouragement of the practice has become a source of frustration for banks, law firms and other City tenants, who want the local authority to relax rules perceived as stuffy and outdated.

Shravan Joshi, a City of London councillor, said: “If an international firm wants to put its name on its door, that should be taken as a compliment to London.” The rules governing signs stretch back to at least 1911, according to City of London Corporation bylaws. HSBC has sought permission to display its company name above its new headquarters next to St Paul’s Cathedral. JPMorgan and Clifford Chance have also floated similar requests for potential properties.

There will still be limits to the appetite of City planners to let corporate logos dominate the skyline of one of the world’s oldest financial centres.