Language of investment banking in Singapore
Is it possible to thrive as an investment banker in Singapore with knowledge of English and no other languages?
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Hard. You’ll need to speak a SEA language
Yup. Teams are rly small too from what I’ve heard
100% of investment banking in Sing is in English (as it is in Thailand, Manila, Philippines, Indonesia and India). Zero benefit to speaking a language other then English.
Would speaking SEA language like Malay/Thai/Indonesian help?
Yes
To all the interns/students out there who think they know best:
This guy is a verified MD, please listen to him. He knows what he’s on about. Don’t listen to others.
As a junior, you'll be fine with just English. But if you want to succeed in a longer-term career, it would be good to know a SEA language (Bahasa, Thai etc.)
The market is just not that big - and there are plenty of talents who speak multiple languages and can work much better with the regional companies. You'll be at a significant disadvantage if you don't speak anything other than English.
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