European pay grade

How much do investment bankers in Europe get paid? Without talking about London of course... 

I'm talking about Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam, Germany with it's many exchanges, ...

9 Comments
 

Can't provide specific numbers as it depends on AUM, reputation, management, etc.

But overall, for middle/lower middle market PE, Germany as benchmark, French ~100%, Benelux (Luxenbourg has very limited PE presence so an exception) 80%, Swiss shop >150%. Also more pan-europe funds in DE and FR and Swiss, while Benelux funds more local sourcing. 

For VC, really bad comps in all EU continent shops, with terrible base salaries and carry distribution scheme...

 

IB folks in Europe get paid significantly more than the average income in their local region. While the "absolute highest" salaries are not as high as in, say, NYC. That won't explain anything about all the other benefits, job security, gov benefits, (..)

My highest salaries were in NYC, Frankfurt and London. After a decade, it's a wash. In some countries you may get a little less, but you win somewhere else.

Also, not every staffer in banking will command the highest income bracket, regardless of location. Just because one would work in NYC doesn't mean they suddenly move to the Upper East side.

 

Frankfurt: base salary for AN1 at the large boutiques (top MM + EB) and BB is between 80-95k € + 5-10k € Signing right now, Paris is similar as far as I know. Southern Europe (Italy, Spain) is lower, but mainly due to lower CoL

 

Surprising given that London is at £65-£75k (75-85k€) with higher COL. Perhaps higher bonuses? Also I presume banks in London don't need to pay very much to attract talent from the continent. 

It is quite known in Germany that your savings rate is much higher in Frankfurt than in London - especially for Juniors. Becomes different at senior levels (better comp progression with higher bonuses) as taxes are also lower in the UK

 

Animi quis in nemo explicabo autem eos dolorem. Vel sint nostrum sapiente qui et dolorem ut. Nesciunt quidem similique tenetur unde hic exercitationem. In consequatur et quidem quis blanditiis quo vel.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

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

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (51) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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

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...”