IB in CDMX
Hi everyone,
I'm currently an incoming analyst at a European BB (DB/Barclays/UBS) in their NYC office. I'm interested in living in Mexico City down the line and was wondering if anyone has exited from a NYC office to a role in Mexico City, or transferred within the company to their Mexico City office (for the banks that have one). Really curious about the IB comp and culture/hours in CDMX and the market for PE/HF/VC. My group has a strong LatAm pipeline and I got to work with the LatAm team within my coverage group for my summer which should continue for full time. I am also fluent in English/Spanish so language barrier shouldn't be an issue aside from learning finance lingo in Spanish. If anyone has insight on the above or advice on how to make the move I would greatly appreciate your insights. Thank you.
not worth it bro - same hours, arguably worse office culture with shit comp compared to US (although you will still live a pretty good lifestyle bc of low CoL). Also, there will be a cultural barrier if you're not a native Mexican/from LATAM imo. If you want to do Latam deals, lateral to a Latam team in the US and you will get very similar experience with much, much better compensation
Appreciate the response. Do you have experience with working in Mexico City? I believe the pay is significantly lower but I did think the hours would be better. Also, I definitely understand that there is a cultural difference even though I can speak Spanish, but I’ve spent a lot of time in Mexico since my whole extended family is there so I’m hoping my familiarity with the culture will help me adjust. And like you said, COL is much lower which is why I’m ok with a pay cut (within reason).
Comment above about comp is not accurate. Base salary will certainly be lower, but BB groups in LatAm offices usually pay bonuses in USD.
Total comp for analyst 1 might range from USD 80k-100k depending on deal flow. However, CoL and Taxes will be much lower than in the US. If you make USD 180k all-in as AN1 in NY, taxes and rent will already take around 90-100k of that. On top of that, items such as Ubers, eating out, etc. are much more expensive in NY, and those certainly add up.
In LatAm, you'll be able to pay USD1k / month or less for a much nicer and more modern apartment than what you can get in NYC, tax brackets will usually range from 20% to 30% of income. Additionally, eating out with USD 20 already allows you to access top restaurants, and Uber rides will be under USD 10. Food is usually much better btw.
On a net basis, you're usually able to save much more by working in a BB IB out of a regional office (CDMX, Madrid, Frankfurt, Sao Paulo, etc.) compared to NYC and London. However, there aren't that many "exit opps" - almost all PE / GE / VC spots will be in the US and the UK, so that is the downside.
How accurate is your information on the US 80k-100k range and how much harder is transition of Mex IB-US PE compared to US IB - US PE?
Exit opportunities in Mexico are primarily limited to PE/GE/VC firms (There aren’t any HFs in the country yet, but a new law was recently passed that will allow them to start operating here), which generally manage smaller amounts of capital. For example, Promecap, the largest Mexican PE shop, has around $3.5 billion USD in AUM.
Some of the larger international funds operating in Mexico include Advent, BlackRock, General Atlantic, and Northgate, but the space for high-level opportunities is quite limited.
If you're looking for IB exit options, you can check the Mexican Private Equity Association (AMEXCAP) website, where they list their members. Here’s the link: AMEXCAP Directory. As you’ll see, it’s a relatively small market.
Most IBankers tend to stay in the field. According to Michael Page, compensation for MDs at BB and EB banks in Mexico ranges between $860K and $960K USD annually. You can find more details in their compensation guide here: Michael Page Compensation Guide.
As a data point, Jorge Combe, the former Co-Head of Goldman Sachs Mexico (now a fintech entrepreneur), mentioned in a podcast that VPs at Goldman’s Mexico office could make upwards of $700K USD. While that’s less than what you could make in the US, the lower COL in Mexico means you can enjoy a high standard of living, like actually own an apartment or even a house in the best areas of the city.
If you're looking for better WLB/still strong comp in the financial sector, consider a fintech startup like Stori. Mexican fintechs often offer competitive salaries with the potential additional comp in the form of RSUs, giving you the chance to earn significantly more in the long run.
Hope this helps!
Very helpful! Do you have any insights on comp for finance positions at tech companies such as Stori? I’m assuming these roles are mostly FP&A related, right?
The comment is inaccurate regarding comp at a number of US-based BB/EBs. Some banks (ie BofA) pay NYC base for all offices, including LatAm, albeit with lower bonuses so total comp at these shops will be around 130-140k USD for analyst 1. Already mentioned above but its an incredible amount of cash for a junior analyst and would be like earning $300-400k in NYC.
What are the big industries? Walking around here seems like it’s a fig and Tmt hub for latam. Maybe it’s a hub for everything and I’m just stupid
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