 Bolstered by a sound client base and a recognised capacity for innovation borne out by the league tables , Société Générale was looking to develop its M&A, advisory and IPO activities through the acquisition of specialised firms (SG Hambros in the United Kingdom, Barr Devlin in the United States).French reporter Denis Robert and former #3 of Cedel ,a whistleblower of Clearstream have accused Société Générale of having non-published accounts in Clearstream, which was at the centre of a financial scandal in 2009.The bank denied those accusations.