Indian American Bankers

yeah dude all the time in fully white meetings whenever I open my mouth every MD rolls their eyes in unison and mumbles slurs under their breath

I hate questions like these coming from a Middle Eastern. If you remotely think like a victim you will become a victim in this line of work. Nobody discriminates if you are excellent at your job and play it well politically

MD changed my zoom name to smellyboi247

One Indian guy at my bank is one of the biggest chads…

the WASP guys in my bullpen always talk about the British raj and conquering brown women

Finance at top firms might be the 2nd most brown person job outside of tech including at the senior levels. So many South and East Asian MDs both in the UK and US (UK is mostly South not as many East). Junior ranks of these banks also lean heavily Asian. Wouldn't worry about it. Maybe in some edge cases, but going to be unlikely/rare at most top banks solely due to usual makeup of senior leadership at places.

Indian American group head here. Honestly. Zero discrimination in the US over a long time. We are everywhere in this industry.

Internationally, a bit in the UK from old school brits but that was because of the American, not the Indian.

Europe, everyone discriminates, but not just because of the Indian thing, against other Europeans etc

Asia, SE Asia was fine, Mainland China hugely racist, Japan was fine

MENA used to bad but all that has changed 

People think I’m smarter than I actually am.

It has not made any difference for me at all, have had good success my entire career, been treated with respect by seniors peers and juniors, been rewarded handsomely come bonus and promotion times… but there is a major caveat. I hate to say this but my brown brethren may need to hear it.

When you’re Indian, you face stricter standards for how you need to perform, look, act, and sound. You don’t get any less credit than anyone else for your strong points, but you get docked much harder for any weak points. A hard working, sharp, good looking, fit, well dressed, confident, funny, positive Indian guy will get treated the same as a white guy with those qualities. But a Indian guy that doesn’t have those qualities, will get treated much worse than a white guy that doesn’t.

Hold yourself to a higher standard brothers. It is 10x more important that are you in good shape, ideally great shape, well groomed and well dressed, with a confident and competent presence, and a positive attitude. Race doesn’t define the man, but the man defines the race. Be the guy that causes everybody that interacts with him have a more positive opinion of Indians.

This helps not just in professional life but also your personal life. More broadly, always remember that you have immense power and influence over how people view the groups you’re in (whether ethnicity or otherwise). The approach I would use to life is not “how does what group I’m a part of impact how others perceive me”, but rather the more powerful line of thinking: “how do my actions impact how others perceive the group I’m in.”  You have agency, never forget that.

It’s a good point you raise.  Over the course of my career, I have seen “cultural fit” used as a tool of discrimination when judgments are being made, and this isn’t just about Indian or Asian American, it’s against all sorts of outsiders - I would argue it applies even more so to poor whites than it would for me, growing up with professional parents in the suburbs.

That said, the fact that I got to know, date and study the manor born when I attended an Ivy and the fact that I played varsity sports meant I learned the lingo and manner of the American jock, each made a big difference to me in navigating cultural fit as a junior banker. I knew how to hold my own with MDs and clients and fit in with the associates and VPs. To my seniors credit, they couldn’t have been more welcoming and supportive once I proved myself as a professional.

Nevertheless, a guide for outsiders trying to navigate their way around banking.

1. Write well, with 1950s Americanstyle as a good goal. Read strunk and white and memorize this. EB White, Roger Angell and John Knowles are good guides to proper written language. For shorter pithier prose Jimmy Breslin and Pete Hamill are masters
2. Speak like a grown up, Avoid Gen Z language. Johnny from New Canaan can get away with it. You can’t
3. Dress like your MD, not your associate. For men, invest in a well tailored suit (fit is better than brand) and a few pairs of tailored slacks and a navy blazer.  Shirts perfectly ironed and only white, light blue, or pink. Only acceptable shoes are penny loafers. For women, scarves are your friend. 100% of the women I know who wear scarves as part of their professional attire are successful.
4. Know your sports and play one. If not, run or bike. It’s also good for you.
5. Know two of the four - classical philosophy and  literature, pre war Englishliterature, modern art of any nation, western classical music. This is also not just for work but for life. When times are bleak, some Bach and some PG Wodehouse can solve most problems.
6. know where power lies in your organization and learn the art of being deferential but visible to power
7. And obviously do your work impeccably