Hot on the heels of Terry Smith's announcement that he is to split Collins Stuart Tullett in two, Bridgewell is moving swiftly towards a summer flotation. US investment banks are circling around smaller UK rivals as the world's attention is increasingly focused on London as a global financial centre. ING is rumoured to be on the lookout for a buyer for Williams de Broë. Evolution is sitting on a £140m cash pile and is ostensibly look for acquisitions, though some onlookers are convinced that recent claims by the company about its large share of the small and mid-caps market is an open invitation to bidders. Industry observers are also saying that Keith Harris has been trying to drum up bidders for Seymour Pierce, and that this is partly due to 30% stakeholder Alchemy partners wanting an exit.