"In the event of a no-deal Brexit, it would hurt the EU very significantly," McFarlane told a Brexit conference.

He said the EU and euro zone appear as if they are becoming a "closed system" in financial services, while London has developed as a global financial centre by being open, he said.

"London was never designed, it evolved," McFarlane said.

He expected that trade would continue between the financial sector in London and the EU after Brexit.

"In the end there is going to be a deal, however it transpires."

(Reporting by Huw Jones; Editing by Toby Chopra)