Sovereign Advisory Groups

Anyone care to share insights into working at/breaking into Sovereign Advisory groups? It seems that Lazard and Rothschild's Paris-based teams are the two dominant groups, but are there no American (NY/DC based) teams? Considering geographic proximity, I'd be surprised if no American firms are servicing the Latin America market, as this region is notorious for debt defaults/restructurings, essentially the core work of Sovereign Advisory groups.

I've also heard that some London boutiques also see some deal flow, anyone know the names of a few of these firms? Any info is appreciated, as very scant information is available online on sovereign advisory.

In case anyone is interested, my background: Finished undergrad in 2019, and now am an Economic Analyst at a US Government institution (think Federal Reserve, US Treasury, White House Council of Economic Advisers).

10 Comments
 
 
Most Helpful

As far as I know, there are some boutiques in London but the three biggest firms are all Paris-based and work on deals globally (Lazard, Rothschild, and a new independent firm GSA launched by the ex-head of sovereign advisory at Rothschild). Speaking fluent French (and if possible Spanish) is a necessity. I've just been through the interview process for internships at the three firms above, it truly is a niche sector and if you are looking for US-based opportunities then I think your best option is to work for the IMF.

 

There are teams at US bulge brackets in this space for example under a public sector coverage group or sometimes embedded in DCM or markets. Goldman, JP, Citi have hybrids of these groups and advise governments.

To break in you should have an economics or finance background, top school degree (I.e. Harvard Kennedy, Columbia SIPA, LSS, Science Po etc.), fluent in French, Spanish and others. Strong knowledge of applied economics, debt sustainability, data, etc. A lot of networking.

Indeed others include Blackrock’s Financial advisory, Lazard and some small shops that help sovereigns but they are not banks so the pay may be “ok”

 

Neque blanditiis pariatur molestiae quidem et. Nam unde rerum consequatur ut magnam magni. Fugiat doloribus culpa harum sunt dolores voluptatem.

Mollitia omnis odit quod consequatur. Quasi harum consequuntur provident eaque provident qui atque. Vel cum harum fugit itaque suscipit. Quas est delectus incidunt aut delectus ipsum et explicabo.

Nulla fuga consectetur placeat. Eum pariatur magni quidem sit et. At consequuntur voluptatem aliquid aut necessitatibus. Quos animi ut exercitationem laborum. Nihil ut rerum vel qui qui.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”