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At 08:51 BST, the index was up 0.9 per cent on 5,315.49 points, Reuters reports, with Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays, HSBC and Royal Bank of Scotland adding between 1.1 per cent and 2.1 per cent.
Mining and energy firms also began the day stronger after prices of crude oil and metals rose, with Rio Tinto, Xstrata, BHP Billiton, BG Group and BP among the companies rising.
Shares in Vodafone, which announced its annual financial results today, retreated from early gains to fall flat as investors expressed concern that the mobile operator is suffering in the Indian market.
The company posted a rise in group revenue, but said it has been hit with a £2.3 billion impairment charge relating to its India operations.
Steven Bell of hedge fund GLC was quoted by the news agency as saying "investors are now starting to look beyond the immediate concerns of debt in Europe to a stronger global economy".
Posted by Clive Arneil
