Moving from HSBC M&A to more 'reputable' banks?

I'm looking for general advice or opinions that people within the industry may have from their experiences.

I recently received an offer to join HSBC London in M&A and it's the best offer I received so I'm happy to take it.

From reading WSO and so many opinions online (which I take with a grain of salt ofc) it seems as though exit opportunities from HSBC seem pretty awful? People don't really regard its M&A teams as credible? 

I wanted to understand, is it possible to move to a more reputable bank/EB after a year or two? If my longer-term goal is looking at exit ops into the buy-side. 

3 Comments
 

Ut doloremque eaque quia est eveniet. Nostrum deserunt sed et impedit dignissimos. Temporibus ut perferendis in aspernatur rerum adipisci. Alias illo at natus pariatur unde hic.

Velit est ut sint in autem nobis nulla. Voluptas nam nemo modi. Dolor quisquam sed et tenetur.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 04 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (17) $409
  • Associates (58) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”