The future of Dutch investment bank ING Barings - part of ING Groep NV - was in doubt yesterday, following the resignation of chief executive Arjun Mathrani after only five months at the firm.

The Amsterdam-based bank said that Mathrani had left because of differences of opinion over the way ING was developing its corporate and investment banking in western Europe.

Mathrani's departure tops a list of recent high-level defections at the firm, which last month lost the head of its London-based corporate finance operation.