LONDON--Finsbury has confirmed that it is to merge with sister WPP firm Robinson Lerer Montgomery (RLM).

The two financial heavyweights will create a new entity called RLM Finsbury, chaired by Finsbury founder Roland Rudd.

The new outfit will bring together Finsbury’s strength in London with RLM’s leading New York presence. RLM founder Walter Montgomery becomes CEO.

The news was first reported by Sky News last night.

RLM Finsbury will count a staff strength of around 200, and is also expected to open a Hong Kong office later this year. Finsbury already has additional offices in Brussels, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The move is an overt attempt by the two firms to create global scale, at a time when cross-border capability in corporate and financial PR is becoming increasingly critical.