Chinese IBD or Hong Kong Boutique

I have been through the SA recruiting process for BB's HK offices and had no luck landing an offer after few Superdays. As a result, I spent a lot of time reaching out to boutiques in HK and banks in China, and now I have landed an offer from a leading Chinese securities firm's IBD (not CICC) and an offer from a HK boutique.

The Chinese IBD and is perhaps the leader in investment banking in mainland China at the moment with lots of deals. However, similar to many other Chinese ibanks, it runs a model that's distinctly different from the traditional approach adopted by international banks. I have done lots of research and found out that, at the junior level, the nature of work is entirely different from banks in HK/US and I need to learn everything from scratch (barely any modelling/valuation work, no comps, no DCF etc). Things are changing and becoming more market-oriented but it will take some time.

On the other hand, the boutique in HK adopts the international approach and I am much more familiar with it. The MD and ED also came from BB prior to working at the boutique.

Although I would like to work in China in the longer term, I am more interested in starting my career in HK and work there for 2-3 years before transitioning back to mainland. It would be great if you monkeys can shed some light on this and let me know what you think - appreciate it.

Many Thanks,

8 Comments
 

First off, congratulations on securing both offers. You don't have to confirm, but it sounds like with the first choice you're talking about CITIC. If I were in your position, I would take the offer at the Hong Kong boutique and wait for mainland's market reforms to play itself out before plunging myself into the mainland. The skill development benefits that you mentioned along with your familiarity with an "international" approach means that the boutique is a great place to start off your career. Good luck with your decision!

 

Incidunt nobis autem iure et. Distinctio explicabo mollitia reiciendis dolorem molestiae nostrum. Omnis quos ad et est ut tempora commodi perferendis.

Ratione totam totam aut dolor voluptas quaerat illum. Voluptatem sapiente quia laboriosam praesentium quos voluptatem nisi. In molestiae nobis iste. Labore similique laborum et accusantium. Quis pariatur nisi et repellendus quisquam est.

Laborum assumenda eligendi id vel tempore id a. Sit voluptatem aut possimus molestiae delectus numquam. Et eum ipsam vel velit velit aut nihil non. Molestias quia aperiam optio odit enim. Fugiat minus quia autem aut et ea accusamus neque.

Et veritatis adipisci deleniti nemo deserunt. Alias dignissimos aut ut reprehenderit. Alias dolores soluta dolorem neque minima exercitationem sunt. Qui distinctio ut dolorem explicabo commodi in. Nisi blanditiis ipsam ea corporis et nostrum cumque. Tempora nisi sequi modi non aut facere.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”