Staff at the German bank’s technology centres in Moscow and St Petersburg were given the opportunity to relocate to Berlin following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.

Of the 1,500 staff in Russia, around half have taken up the offer, FT reports.

However, a source at Deutsche Bank told the newspaper that the process was far from straightforward, even aside from the volume of paperwork needed to obtain visas and work permits in Germany.

“There were quite a lot of people who haven’t renewed their passports because no one’s travelled for three years,” they said.

“We certainly learnt more about our colleagues’ pets than we ever wanted to know. It starts from hamsters and it stops at snakes. And no, you can’t take a snake on the plane.”

Deutsche Bank has not yet confirmed its plans for its remaining operations in Russia.